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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
468
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: bat · fine · clip · face · bay · scale · march · file

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. march — music
  3. clip — for paper
  4. march — the month
  5. face — to confront
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bat — the animal
  8. march — the month
  9. file — a line of people
  10. clip — to cut
  11. file — a document
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. file — a tool
  18. scale — size or range
  19. face — part of the head
  20. scale — in music
  21. clip — a video
  22. fine — all right
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. fine — high quality

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