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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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. clip — for paper
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. season — in sport
  7. net — for catching
  8. drill — a practice
  9. scale — in music
  10. bank — for money
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bank — for money
  13. net — in sport
  14. drill — the tool
  15. pop — music
  16. net — after costs
  17. bank — of a river
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. clip — to cut
  20. pop — to visit
  21. scale — size or range
  22. drill — army training
  23. pop — soda
  24. season — of the year

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