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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. press — a publisher
  3. lean — to bend
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. scale — in music
  6. can — a tin
  7. clip — a video
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. clip — for paper
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. clip — to cut
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. snap — to click
  18. press — to push
  19. scale — size or range
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. lean — thin
  22. press — newspapers
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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