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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: press · pop · saw · bat · content · arm · nail · scale

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — the animal
  4. press — to push
  5. pop — soda
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. content — the amount
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. scale — in music
  10. saw — the tool
  11. scale — size or range
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. saw — the tool
  16. pop — music
  17. content — happy
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. press — newspapers
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. arm — a part of something

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