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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: mate · chip · rush · cold · field · vault · scale · cabinet

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. cold — an illness
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — in music
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mate — a friend
  9. field — for sport
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. field — a subject
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cold — not warm
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. field — farmland
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. vault — a safe
  19. rush — hurry
  20. chip — to eat
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. mate — a partner
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chip — for betting

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