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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: deal · clip · fan · can · scale · rest · coach · sharp

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. scale — in music
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. clip — to cut
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. scale — size or range
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. can — a tin
  15. clip — a video
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. rest — what's left
  19. clip — for paper
  20. sharp — clever
  21. rest — what's left
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. rest — a break

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