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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.

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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: wound · mouse · scale · mug · charge · cap · land · cue

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. cue — for pool
  3. charge — a price
  4. cap — of ice
  5. scale — size or range
  6. mug — a cup
  7. charge — electricity
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. land — to come down
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cue — a signal
  13. mug — to rob
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. land — ground
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. charge — in control
  20. scale — in music
  21. land — a country
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cap — a hat
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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