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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · kid · scale · key · club · firm · coach · nail

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. scale — in music
  4. kid — child
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. club — for dancing
  9. firm — a company
  10. clip — for paper
  11. firm — decided
  12. clip — to cut
  13. club — for golf
  14. clip — a video
  15. firm — steady
  16. key — for a lock
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. scale — size or range
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. club — a group
  21. key — the most important part
  22. key — in music
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. coach — a trainer

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