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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 124 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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. mate — a friend
  3. scale — in music
  4. game — a match
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mate — a partner
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. net — after costs
  10. clip — to cut
  11. club — for dancing
  12. clip — for paper
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. mate — to breed
  15. game — wild animals
  16. scale — size or range
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. net — for catching
  20. club — for golf
  21. club — a group
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. net — in sport
  24. clip — a video

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