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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.

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: racket · mine · clip · scale · cabinet · date · nail · fine

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. fine — high quality
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. date — the fruit
  5. clip — a video
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. clip — for paper
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — size or range
  12. fine — all right
  13. mine — for digging
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. clip — to cut
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. racket — a loud noise

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