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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: scale · vault · clip · mate · last · rash · content · season

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. content — happy
  3. clip — a video
  4. mate — a friend
  5. content — the amount
  6. mate — a partner
  7. scale — size or range
  8. last — finally
  9. season — of the year
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. season — in sport
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. rash — a series
  14. mate — to breed
  15. vault — a safe
  16. clip — to cut
  17. last — to go on
  18. rash — hasty
  19. scale — in music
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. clip — for paper
  24. last — final

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