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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 · pit · rush · date · scale · spell · hand · last

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. spell — letters
  4. clip — a video
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. spell — magic
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. date — the fruit
  9. spell — a short time
  10. hand — help
  11. pit — a hole
  12. clip — to cut
  13. last — final
  14. scale — size or range
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. hand — in cards
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — finally
  19. rush — hurry
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. scale — in music
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. clip — for paper
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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