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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 116 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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. bat — the animal
  3. fall — to drop
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. spell — letters
  6. scale — size or range
  7. saw — the tool
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. press — newspapers
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. kick — in football
  14. press — to push
  15. fall — the season
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — a short time
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. press — a publisher
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. saw — the tool

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