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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: cabinet · pit · nail · fan · sharp · scale · hand · charge

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. charge — electricity
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. hand — help
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. scale — in music
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. sharp — clever
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. hand — in cards
  13. pit — a hole
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. charge — in control
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. scale — size or range
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. pit — in a race
  24. cabinet — ministers

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