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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.

Make a worksheet

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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. scale — in music
  3. sharp — clever
  4. capital — money
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. bass — the fish
  7. clip — a video
  8. capital — a city
  9. clip — for paper
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. clip — to cut
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bass — low music
  24. scale — size or range

Multiple-meaning words list

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

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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