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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: bowl · cold · scale · rest · fine · jam

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. rest — a break
  4. scale — in music
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. rest — what's left
  7. cold — not warm
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. fine — high quality
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. fine — all right
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. rest — what's left
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. bowl — to roll

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