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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: jam · firm · cold · rule · bank · fan · scale · last

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. rule — government
  3. last — to go on
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. firm — decided
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. cold — not warm
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. bank — of a river
  13. firm — a company
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. cold — an illness
  17. firm — steady
  18. bank — for money
  19. rule — a law
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. last — final
  22. bank — for money
  23. last — finally
  24. scale — in music

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