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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
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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: scale · cold · hand · date · foot · rule · vault · stand

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. scale — size or range
  3. hand — help
  4. rule — a law
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. date — the fruit
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. stand — to bear
  10. cold — an illness
  11. vault — a safe
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. cold — not warm
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. foot — a measure
  18. rule — government
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. scale — in music
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. hand — part of the body

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