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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: fine · rule · wind · date · cabinet · ground · key · scale

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. fine — high quality
  5. scale — in music
  6. key — for a lock
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wind — moving air
  9. key — the most important part
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rule — government
  13. date — the fruit
  14. rule — a law
  15. fine — all right
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. key — in music
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — a position
  24. scale — size or range

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