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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: scale · present · chest · clip · drill · race · pass · cabinet

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. present — the time now
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. present — a gift
  6. drill — the tool
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. scale — size or range
  10. pass — a permit
  11. clip — for paper
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. race — a contest
  14. scale — in music
  15. race — the arms race
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. clip — a video
  19. race — humankind
  20. drill — a practice
  21. chest — a box
  22. present — there
  23. clip — to cut
  24. drill — army training

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