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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. clip — a video
  3. key — the most important part
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. row — a line
  9. scale — in music
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. race — the arms race
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. clip — to cut
  14. key — in music
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — a contest
  17. scale — size or range
  18. pitch — completely
  19. toast — bread
  20. clip — for paper
  21. key — for a lock
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. row — to paddle

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