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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 · jam · bat · cabinet · cap · cell · scale · row

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. press — to push
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — newspapers
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — in music
  7. cell — in biology
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. scale — size or range
  12. cell — a phone
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. row — a line
  17. cap — a hat
  18. bat — the animal
  19. cap — of ice
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cell — in a prison

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