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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: racket · cap · cell · saw · squash · mate · can · scale

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. scale — in music
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. mate — to breed
  7. can — a tin
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. can — to be able to
  11. cap — of ice
  12. squash — the sport
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. squash — to crush
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cell — a phone
  17. mate — a partner
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cell — in biology
  21. saw — the tool
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. mate — a friend
  24. can — a tin

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