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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: key · fall · patient · ground · pass · chip · scale · clip

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. ground — a position
  3. clip — a video
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. scale — size or range
  6. scale — in music
  7. clip — to cut
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. pass — a permit
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. key — in music
  12. fall — to drop
  13. key — the most important part
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. fall — the season
  16. key — for a lock
  17. clip — for paper
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — for betting
  21. fall — to drop
  22. chip — to eat
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — the earth

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