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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 116 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: cold · rule · key · mouse · current · scale · kick · leaves

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. key — the most important part
  3. current — electric
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. current — of water
  6. kick — in football
  7. key — for a lock
  8. cold — an illness
  9. rule — government
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. scale — size or range
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. rule — a law
  15. cold — not warm
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. key — in music
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. current — happening now
  22. scale — in music
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. kick — with a leg

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