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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: cabinet · charge · tube · face · safe · scale · hand · degree

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. tube — the underground
  3. face — to confront
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. charge — electricity
  6. scale — size or range
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. hand — help
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. face — to point toward
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. degree — temperature
  15. scale — in music
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — a container
  18. charge — a price
  19. face — part of the head
  20. degree — an amount
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. degree — from a university
  23. hand — in cards
  24. charge — in control

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