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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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 · cold · current · content · perch · mouse · key · scale

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. content — happy
  3. cold — not warm
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. perch — the fish
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. current — of water
  13. scale — in music
  14. key — for a lock
  15. current — electric
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. current — happening now
  19. scale — size or range
  20. key — in music
  21. key — the most important part
  22. content — the amount
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. scale — for weighing

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