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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: charge · land · scale · cue · squash · rest · present · race

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. scale — size or range
  3. land — a country
  4. scale — in music
  5. land — ground
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. charge — a price
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. cue — a signal
  11. squash — to crush
  12. cue — for pool
  13. charge — in control
  14. race — humankind
  15. present — the time now
  16. rest — what's left
  17. squash — the sport
  18. land — to come down
  19. cue — a hint
  20. present — there
  21. present — a gift
  22. race — a contest
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. charge — electricity

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