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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: cabinet · scale · press · fork · net · sharp · temple · arm

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  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. sharp — clever
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. scale — in music
  5. fork — in a road
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. press — to push
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. net — in sport
  13. press — a publisher
  14. net — after costs
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. scale — size or range
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. net — for catching
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. press — newspapers
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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