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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: band · squash · scale · press · toast · tube · chair · net

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — the sport
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. chair — a leader
  6. tube — the underground
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. net — in sport
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. scale — size or range
  12. scale — in music
  13. press — to push
  14. squash — to crush
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. press — newspapers
  18. band — a ring
  19. press — a publisher
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. net — after costs
  22. band — a music group
  23. toast — bread
  24. chair — a professorship

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