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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: fine · bound · bat · clip · club · cabinet · scale · stand

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — all right
  3. clip — to cut
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bat — the animal
  6. clip — a video
  7. stand — to bear
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. scale — in music
  10. bound — obliged
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. bound — certain
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. fine — high quality
  18. club — for golf
  19. scale — size or range
  20. bound — tied together
  21. club — for dancing
  22. clip — for paper
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. club — a group

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