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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.

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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: club · row · stand · kick · key · scale · chest · press

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. press — newspapers
  3. scale — size or range
  4. club — for dancing
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. press — to push
  7. stand — to bear
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. key — for a lock
  10. press — a publisher
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. chest — of your body
  13. club — for golf
  14. chest — of your body
  15. scale — in music
  16. key — the most important part
  17. kick — in football
  18. row — to paddle
  19. club — a group
  20. row — a line
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. key — in music
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. kick — with a leg

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