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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.

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: press · content · scale · fine · leaves · land · nail · cold

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. scale — in music
  3. land — a country
  4. content — happy
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. fine — all right
  7. press — newspapers
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. scale — size or range
  10. press — a publisher
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. cold — not warm
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. land — ground
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. cold — an illness
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. fine — high quality
  20. land — to come down
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. content — the amount

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