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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
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: scale · fan · toast · trunk · clip · fine · snap · key

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — for paper
  4. fine — high quality
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — the most important part
  7. toast — bread
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. scale — size or range
  11. key — in music
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. scale — in music
  17. fine — all right
  18. clip — to cut
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. snap — to click
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. fan — to cool the air

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