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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: cold · charge · scale · bay · trunk · rule · drill · cap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. cold — not warm
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. drill — army training
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. rule — a law
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. scale — in music
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. rule — government
  17. cap — a lid
  18. charge — electricity
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. cap — of ice
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. charge — in control
  24. charge — a price

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