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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: cabinet · rash · bowl · rest · clip · date · scale · rush

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. clip — to cut
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. scale — size or range
  5. clip — for paper
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. rest — a break
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. clip — a video
  12. rush — hurry
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. rash — a series
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rash — hasty
  17. date — the fruit
  18. rest — what's left
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. scale — in music

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