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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. ball — a great time
  3. sharp — clever
  4. mug — to rob
  5. chair — a leader
  6. press — a publisher
  7. rest — what's left
  8. ball — a dance
  9. rest — a break
  10. net — for catching
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. net — after costs
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. press — to push
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. press — newspapers
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. mug — a face
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. net — in sport
  21. mug — a cup
  22. rest — what's left
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — for weighing

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