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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: cold · key · can · content · scale · saw · bat · roll

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. roll — a list
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. roll — a cake
  5. key — for a lock
  6. saw — the tool
  7. can — a tin
  8. cold — not warm
  9. scale — in music
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. cold — an illness
  13. scale — size or range
  14. key — the most important part
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — the amount
  17. can — to be able to
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. content — happy
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. key — in music
  24. bat — the animal

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