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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: clip · craft · fall · net · deal · scale · mate · track

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. net — for catching
  3. clip — to cut
  4. fall — to drop
  5. scale — size or range
  6. track — a song
  7. clip — a video
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — the season
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. scale — in music
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. mate — a friend
  14. net — after costs
  15. deal — to handle
  16. mate — a partner
  17. clip — for paper
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. craft — a skill
  20. track — a path
  21. net — in sport
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. track — to keep track
  24. mate — to breed

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