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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: arm · cabinet · mark · rush · cold · snap · can · scale

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. scale — in music
  5. cold — not warm
  6. can — to be able to
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. scale — size or range
  10. cold — an illness
  11. snap — to click
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. mark — a grade
  15. rush — hurry
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. can — a tin
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. can — a tin
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. mark — a trace
  24. cold — the Cold War

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