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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: mark · cabinet · clip · mouse · swing · wind · pitcher · scale

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. swing — music
  7. swing — to play on
  8. clip — to cut
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. swing — in golf
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mark — a trace
  13. clip — a video
  14. clip — for paper
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. mark — a grade
  17. scale — size or range
  18. scale — in music
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. scale — for weighing

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