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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: scale · ball · clip · rock · hand · saw · mouse · rash

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. hand — in cards
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. clip — to cut
  8. rock — music
  9. clip — for paper
  10. scale — size or range
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. hand — help
  13. clip — a video
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ball — a dance
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rash — a series
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. rash — hasty
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. scale — in music

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