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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: scale · chair · net · cold · mate · date · fine · hand

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. scale — size or range
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. cold — not warm
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. net — in sport
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. mate — a friend
  11. scale — in music
  12. chair — a leader
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. mate — a partner
  15. net — after costs
  16. date — the fruit
  17. mate — to breed
  18. fine — high quality
  19. hand — help
  20. cold — an illness
  21. hand — in cards
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. net — for catching
  24. fine — all right

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