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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. press — newspapers
  3. rash — hasty
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. scale — size or range
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. kid — to tease
  8. rash — a series
  9. rock — a stone
  10. key — the most important part
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. kid — child
  13. key — for a lock
  14. press — a publisher
  15. cold — an illness
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. key — in music
  20. rock — music
  21. press — to push
  22. cold — not warm
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. scale — in music

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