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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: fine · fall · scale · staff · bat · clip · tube · mug

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. clip — a video
  5. staff — a stick
  6. fall — the season
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bat — the animal
  9. tube — a container
  10. clip — to cut
  11. fall — to drop
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. fine — all right
  15. mug — a cup
  16. clip — for paper
  17. scale — in music
  18. mug — to rob
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — the underground
  21. fall — to drop
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. scale — size or range

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