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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: present · race · scale · clip · squash · bass · root · fine

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. clip — a video
  5. bass — the fish
  6. race — humankind
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. scale — in music
  9. clip — to cut
  10. squash — the sport
  11. bass — low music
  12. present — there
  13. race — a contest
  14. fine — all right
  15. root — the cause
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. scale — size or range
  18. present — the time now
  19. squash — to crush
  20. root — of a plant
  21. race — the arms race
  22. root — of a word
  23. present — a gift
  24. clip — for paper

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