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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: rule · pass · bay · lean · clip · face · scale · nail

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. face — to point toward
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. pass — a permit
  7. clip — to cut
  8. scale — in music
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. rule — government
  13. face — to confront
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — thin
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. face — part of the head
  20. clip — a video
  21. scale — size or range
  22. clip — for paper
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. scale — for weighing

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