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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: mark · row · fine · hand · scale · cap · press · kick

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  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. kick — in football
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. scale — in music
  4. press — a publisher
  5. fine — all right
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — a hat
  8. mark — a trace
  9. press — newspapers
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. cap — of ice
  13. row — to paddle
  14. hand — help
  15. press — to push
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. scale — size or range
  21. row — a line
  22. hand — in cards
  23. fine — high quality
  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