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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.

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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: clip · suit · rash · arm · cabinet · mug · date · scale

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. suit — clothes
  3. mug — to rob
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — to cut
  9. rash — hasty
  10. scale — size or range
  11. suit — to fit
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. suit — in cards
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. rash — a series
  16. clip — for paper
  17. mug — a face
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. date — the fruit
  22. scale — in music
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. mug — a cup

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