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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: roll · press · scale · rash · bat · rest · jam · cell

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. bat — the animal
  3. scale — size or range
  4. scale — in music
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. cell — a phone
  7. rest — what's left
  8. cell — in biology
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. press — newspapers
  12. rash — hasty
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. rest — a break
  15. press — to push
  16. rash — a series
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. rest — what's left
  20. press — a publisher
  21. roll — a cake
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. scale — for weighing

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