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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.

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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: mouse · scale · cold · rule · sharp · dip · hand · cabinet

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. sharp — clever
  4. scale — in music
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. scale — size or range
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. hand — in cards
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. cold — an illness
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. hand — help
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. cold — not warm
  18. rule — government
  19. dip — to sink
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. rule — a law
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. hand — part of the body

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