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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 120 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
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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: scale · cabinet · content · race · hand · pit · mate · rash

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. hand — help
  3. content — happy
  4. pit — in a race
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. content — the amount
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — a partner
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. pit — a hole
  13. hand — in cards
  14. rash — a series
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. mate — to breed
  17. race — humankind
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. rash — hasty
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — a contest
  23. scale — in music
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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