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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. clip — a video
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bear — the animal
  6. clip — to cut
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. mug — to rob
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. sharp — clever
  13. scale — in music
  14. mug — a face
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. mug — a cup
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. ball — a great time
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. scale — size or range
  24. ball — a round shape

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