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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. chest — a box
  3. chest — of your body
  4. scale — in music
  5. bark — to shout
  6. shower — to wash
  7. key — the most important part
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. track — a path
  12. key — in music
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. press — to push
  17. shower — rain
  18. press — a publisher
  19. key — for a lock
  20. track — a song
  21. scale — size or range
  22. chest — of your body
  23. track — to keep track
  24. press — newspapers

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