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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · chip · scale · file · bass · mug · racket · fork

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bass — low music
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. clip — to cut
  5. mug — a face
  6. mug — to rob
  7. file — a document
  8. fork — in a road
  9. chip — to eat
  10. bass — the fish
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. file — a line of people
  13. clip — a video
  14. clip — for paper
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. file — a tool
  18. mug — a cup
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. chip — for betting
  24. racket — for tennis

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