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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: season · rule · chest · mouse · scale · dip · fine · clip

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  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. dip — to sink
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. scale — in music
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. chest — a box
  10. fine — all right
  11. chest — of your body
  12. season — in sport
  13. clip — to cut
  14. season — of the year
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. rule — a law
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. rule — government
  20. chest — of your body
  21. clip — for paper
  22. scale — size or range
  23. clip — a video
  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