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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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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: stick · scale · present · race · trunk · net · last · clip

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. net — for catching
  3. clip — for paper
  4. last — to go on
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. scale — size or range
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. present — there
  9. present — the time now
  10. net — in sport
  11. present — a gift
  12. last — finally
  13. clip — a video
  14. last — final
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. race — the arms race
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. race — a contest
  20. scale — in music
  21. clip — to cut
  22. net — after costs
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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