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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hide · content · rule · scale · drill · press

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. press — a publisher
  3. content — happy
  4. rule — government
  5. drill — the tool
  6. press — to push
  7. drill — a practice
  8. scale — in music
  9. rule — a law
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. press — newspapers
  13. content — the amount
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. scale — size or range

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