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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cell — a phone
  3. drill — the tool
  4. scale — in music
  5. press — newspapers
  6. drill — army training
  7. press — to push
  8. scale — size or range
  9. cell — in biology
  10. snap — to click
  11. suit — clothes
  12. press — a publisher
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. suit — in cards
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. drill — a practice
  19. suit — to fit
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. wound — an injury
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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