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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: bat · fine · press · dip · scale · lean · wave · key

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  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. fine — a penalty
  2. press — a publisher
  3. key — for a lock
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. key — in music
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. key — the most important part
  8. scale — size or range
  9. fine — all right
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. dip — to sink
  12. fine — high quality
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. lean — thin
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. press — to push
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. lean — to bend
  21. press — newspapers
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. bat — the animal
  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