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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: pit · scale · rule · cell · cabinet · mug

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. scale — in music
  3. pit — a hole
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. mug — to rob
  6. cell — a phone
  7. mug — a cup
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pit — in a race
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. rule — government
  15. cell — in biology
  16. scale — size or range
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. rule — a law

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