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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.

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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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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: press · firm · kid · scale · rest · shower · suit · mate

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  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. mate — a partner
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — what's left
  4. firm — decided
  5. suit — to fit
  6. scale — size or range
  7. firm — steady
  8. press — newspapers
  9. suit — in cards
  10. mate — to breed
  11. suit — clothes
  12. shower — to wash
  13. press — a publisher
  14. mate — a friend
  15. kid — to tease
  16. shower — rain
  17. press — to push
  18. firm — a company
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. rest — a break
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. kid — child
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  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