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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

Word bank: mine · pitcher · bass · scale · clip · perch · calf · pit

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. pit — a hole
  3. clip — a video
  4. scale — in music
  5. scale — size or range
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. clip — for paper
  10. mine — for digging
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. perch — the fish
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bass — low music
  17. pit — in a race
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. bass — the fish
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. scale — for weighing

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