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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: clip · fine · mine · scale · track · suit

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. track — a song
  3. clip — to cut
  4. suit — clothes
  5. fine — all right
  6. clip — a video
  7. suit — to fit
  8. scale — size or range
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. track — a path
  11. track — to keep track
  12. clip — for paper
  13. mine — for digging
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. fine — high quality
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. suit — in cards

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