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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
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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: rush · cold · charge · nail · row · scale · last · mine

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cold — an illness
  3. scale — in music
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. charge — electricity
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. row — to paddle
  11. row — a line
  12. charge — a price
  13. scale — size or range
  14. charge — in control
  15. rush — hurry
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. last — to go on
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. last — finally
  23. last — final
  24. rush — a thrill

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