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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  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. scale — for weighing
  2. cap — a hat
  3. roll — a cake
  4. pound — a weight
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cap — a lid
  7. fork — in a road
  8. cold — an illness
  9. date — the fruit
  10. fall — to drop
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. scale — in music
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. cap — of ice
  19. roll — a list
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  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