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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. last — to go on
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. scale — size or range
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. scale — in music
  11. rush — hurry
  12. press — to push
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for golf
  16. last — final
  17. snap — to click
  18. last — finally
  19. press — a publisher
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. club — for dancing
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. press — newspapers
  24. trunk — of a car

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