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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: scale · cabinet · bulb · content · date · race · lash · lie

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. scale — in music
  4. date — the fruit
  5. scale — size or range
  6. lie — to recline
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. race — the arms race
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. race — humankind
  13. bulb — for light
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bulb — for light
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. race — a contest
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. content — the amount

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