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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: scale · key · season · land · rush · safe · bass · clip

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. land — a country
  3. rush — hurry
  4. clip — for paper
  5. scale — in music
  6. land — ground
  7. key — the most important part
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — of the year
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. clip — a video
  14. bass — low music
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. land — to come down
  17. bass — the fish
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. key — in music
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. key — for a lock
  22. clip — to cut
  23. scale — size or range
  24. safe — out of danger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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