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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. face — to confront
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. scale — in music
  6. prune — to trim
  7. clip — a video
  8. pass — a permit
  9. face — part of the head
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. scale — size or range
  12. clip — for paper
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. fine — all right
  15. fine — high quality
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. swing — to play on
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. swing — in golf
  21. face — to point toward
  22. prune — to trim
  23. swing — music
  24. clip — to cut

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com