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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.

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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: staff · pitcher · deal · coach · scale · clip · mark · bound

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. bound — obliged
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bound — tied together
  5. scale — size or range
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. scale — in music
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. clip — a video
  16. staff — employees
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mark — a grade
  19. bound — certain
  20. staff — employees
  21. clip — to cut
  22. deal — to handle
  23. mark — a trace
  24. staff — a stick

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