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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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: scale · pop · wave · mug · rash · rule · cell · mouse

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. mug — a cup
  3. pop — to visit
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rash — a series
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rule — a law
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mug — a face
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. cell — a phone
  16. rule — government
  17. pop — music
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. pop — soda
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. cell — in biology
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. scale — in music
  24. rash — hasty

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