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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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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: rule · scale · suit · cabinet · band · nail · content · last

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. scale — in music
  4. content — happy
  5. suit — clothes
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. rule — government
  9. last — finally
  10. scale — size or range
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. suit — to fit
  13. suit — in cards
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rule — a law
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. content — the amount
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. band — a ring
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. band — a music group
  23. last — to go on
  24. band — a rubber band

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