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

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. press — to push
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — in sport
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. scale — in music
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. scale — size or range
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. press — a publisher
  15. press — newspapers
  16. tear — from crying
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. tear — from crying
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. net — after costs
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. mine — for digging
  23. tear — to rip
  24. nail — for a hammer

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