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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  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 — in music
  2. press — a publisher
  3. saw — the tool
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. saw — the tool
  7. club — for dancing
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — to handle
  12. drill — army training
  13. season — in sport
  14. drill — a practice
  15. foot — a measure
  16. scale — size or range
  17. season — of the year
  18. club — for golf
  19. press — to push
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. club — a group
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. drill — the tool
  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