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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 120 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 · season · craft · squash · mark · scale · clip · coach

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. fine — all right
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — of the year
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — for paper
  7. craft — boats
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. craft — a skill
  10. clip — to cut
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. mark — a trace
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — in music
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. squash — to crush
  21. squash — the sport
  22. fine — high quality
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. squash — the vegetable

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