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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: deal · scale · leaves · roll · cue · saw · hand · last

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. last — finally
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. cue — for pool
  6. hand — help
  7. deal — to handle
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. cue — a signal
  10. cue — a hint
  11. hand — in cards
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. scale — in music
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. saw — the tool
  17. roll — a cake
  18. last — final
  19. saw — the tool
  20. last — to go on
  21. roll — a list
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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