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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: board · scale · jam · plane · staff · rest · clip · sharp

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. scale — in music
  3. clip — to cut
  4. staff — employees
  5. rest — what's left
  6. board — to get on
  7. staff — a stick
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — clever
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. rest — a break
  13. scale — size or range
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. staff — employees
  16. clip — a video
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. board — a committee
  19. rest — what's left
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — an aircraft

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