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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: present · current · scale · ground · saw · row · cabinet · rule

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. ground — crushed
  4. current — electric
  5. ground — the earth
  6. rule — government
  7. saw — the tool
  8. scale — in music
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. current — happening now
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. saw — the tool
  15. present — there
  16. ground — a position
  17. row — to paddle
  18. present — a gift
  19. current — of water
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rule — a law
  23. scale — size or range
  24. row — a line

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