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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
468
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: key · scale · land · date · bay · cold · wave · hand

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. hand — help
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. key — the most important part
  11. cold — an illness
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — size or range
  14. land — ground
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — the fruit
  18. key — for a lock
  19. land — a country
  20. cold — not warm
  21. key — in music
  22. land — to come down
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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