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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 120 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 · file · mate · scale · tube · cold · ball · key

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. key — the most important part
  3. press — to push
  4. key — for a lock
  5. mate — a partner
  6. press — newspapers
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. tube — the underground
  10. file — a document
  11. mate — a friend
  12. press — a publisher
  13. ball — a dance
  14. mate — to breed
  15. ball — a great time
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. scale — in music
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a line of people
  20. cold — not warm
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. tube — a container
  24. key — 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