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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 · club · clip · file · can · suit · last · charge

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. last — finally
  3. scale — in music
  4. last — final
  5. can — to be able to
  6. clip — for paper
  7. club — a group
  8. suit — in cards
  9. club — for dancing
  10. can — a tin
  11. scale — size or range
  12. charge — a price
  13. clip — a video
  14. file — a document
  15. last — to go on
  16. charge — electricity
  17. suit — to fit
  18. charge — in control
  19. file — a tool
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. can — a tin
  22. suit — clothes
  23. file — a line of people
  24. clip — to cut

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