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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: last · scale · cue · clip · calf · mug · mate · mine

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. last — finally
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mate — to breed
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — to cut
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. scale — in music
  10. last — final
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. cue — a hint
  13. clip — a video
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mug — a face
  16. cue — a signal
  17. last — to go on
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. mate — a partner
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. scale — size or range
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mug — to rob

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