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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. scale — size or range
  3. club — for golf
  4. press — newspapers
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. face — to point toward
  8. saw — the tool
  9. press — a publisher
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. club — for dancing
  12. kid — to tease
  13. saw — the tool
  14. club — a group
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — what's left
  17. kid — child
  18. press — to push
  19. ball — a dance
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — part of the head
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. scale — in music
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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