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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 116 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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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 · swing · cabinet · scale · fine · rule · key · game

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. swing — to play on
  3. scale — in music
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. fine — all right
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. clip — to cut
  8. clip — for paper
  9. key — for a lock
  10. swing — in golf
  11. clip — a video
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. key — in music
  14. game — a match
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. swing — music
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. rule — government
  19. fine — high quality
  20. key — the most important part
  21. game — wild animals
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. scale — size or range
  24. rule — a law

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