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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 116 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: cue · kid · cold · can · bowl · current · scale · fall

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. current — electric
  7. scale — in music
  8. kid — child
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. fall — the season
  11. kid — to tease
  12. fall — to drop
  13. current — of water
  14. cue — a hint
  15. current — happening now
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. can — a tin
  21. scale — size or range
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cue — a signal

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