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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: hand · cap · swing · date · leaves · cabinet · scale · mug

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. swing — music
  3. scale — size or range
  4. scale — in music
  5. date — the fruit
  6. cap — of ice
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. cap — a lid
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. mug — a cup
  12. hand — help
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. hand — in cards
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. swing — in golf
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mug — a face
  24. swing — to play on

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