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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: bore · dip · jam · arm · land · cold · cabinet · scale

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cold — an illness
  5. land — ground
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. bore — to tire
  8. land — a country
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. land — to come down
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. scale — size or range
  14. bore — to drill
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. dip — to sink
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. scale — in music

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