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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.

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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: kid · scale · dip · toast · temple · sharp · file · clip

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. toast — bread
  3. kid — child
  4. sharp — clever
  5. file — a line of people
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. scale — in music
  8. file — a document
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. dip — to sink
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. clip — to cut
  14. file — a tool
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. scale — size or range
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. clip — a video
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. kid — to tease

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