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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: hand · sharp · rule · bulb · scale · fan · season · cell

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. rule — government
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. scale — size or range
  6. rule — a law
  7. scale — in music
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cell — a phone
  10. season — in sport
  11. sharp — clever
  12. season — of the year
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — in cards
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bulb — for light
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. cell — in biology

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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