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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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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: firm · last · season · arm · snap · cell · scale · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. scale — in music
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. firm — decided
  6. last — final
  7. season — in sport
  8. press — to push
  9. cell — a phone
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. last — to go on
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. season — of the year
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. press — newspapers
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. scale — size or range
  18. firm — steady
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. cell — in biology
  21. last — finally
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. snap — to click
  24. firm — a company

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