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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. scale — size or range
  4. scale — in music
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. game — wild animals
  10. press — to push
  11. saw — the tool
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. press — a publisher
  17. bass — low music
  18. game — a match
  19. bass — the fish
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. press — newspapers
  22. saw — the tool
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. cabinet — ministers

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