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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. row — a line
  3. band — a ring
  4. fine — all right
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. cue — for pool
  8. scale — in music
  9. last — finally
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. last — to go on
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cue — a signal
  14. band — a music group
  15. scale — size or range
  16. press — newspapers
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — to paddle
  19. fine — high quality
  20. press — to push
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. last — final
  24. press — a publisher

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