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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: march · kick · cabinet · spell · scale · game · firm · content

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. firm — a company
  3. game — wild animals
  4. scale — size or range
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. game — a match
  8. spell — magic
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. firm — steady
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. content — happy
  14. spell — letters
  15. firm — decided
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. kick — in football
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. content — the amount
  21. spell — a short time
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. march — the month
  24. scale — in music

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