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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: present · drill · rule · hand · scale · roll · cabinet · cell

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. cell — in biology
  4. drill — army training
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cell — a phone
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. scale — size or range
  9. rule — government
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. roll — a list
  12. scale — in music
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. drill — the tool
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. present — a gift
  17. rule — a law
  18. present — there
  19. hand — help
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. present — the time now
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. hand — in cards
  24. drill — a practice

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