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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: scale · date · rush · saw · object · press · pitcher · last

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. scale — size or range
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. object — to protest
  5. last — finally
  6. saw — the tool
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. object — a thing
  9. rush — hurry
  10. last — final
  11. object — an aim
  12. last — to go on
  13. press — newspapers
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. press — to push
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. scale — in music
  22. saw — the tool
  23. date — the fruit
  24. saw — past of 'see'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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