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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cue · rash · game · cabinet · season · content · scale · rest

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cue — a signal
  3. season — in sport
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. rash — hasty
  6. cue — for pool
  7. scale — in music
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rest — what's left
  11. cue — a hint
  12. content — happy
  13. season — of the year
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. game — wild animals
  17. content — the amount
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. scale — size or range
  20. rash — a series
  21. game — a match
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. rest — a break
  24. content — videos and posts

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