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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: ruler · craft · scale · mate · mine · land · cabinet · cold

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. scale — in music
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. mate — to breed
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. mine — for digging
  8. cold — an illness
  9. land — to come down
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. scale — size or range
  15. craft — a skill
  16. land — ground
  17. land — a country
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. craft — boats
  20. cold — not warm
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. mate — a partner

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