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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: hand · shower · chair · pit · scale · mark · net · press

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. hand — in cards
  3. net — for catching
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. pit — a hole
  6. shower — to wash
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. shower — rain
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — in sport
  12. scale — size or range
  13. hand — help
  14. chair — a leader
  15. mark — a grade
  16. press — a publisher
  17. mark — a trace
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pit — in a race
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. press — to push
  23. press — newspapers
  24. chair — a professorship

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