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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: branch · clip · mouse · last · key · scale · chip · court

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. scale — size or range
  5. last — finally
  6. last — to go on
  7. court — of law
  8. key — in music
  9. court — of a king
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — a video
  12. scale — in music
  13. clip — for paper
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chip — to eat
  17. key — for a lock
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. court — for sport
  21. key — the most important part
  22. chip — for betting
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. mouse — for a computer

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