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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: net · cabinet · wound · press · mate · scale · safe · last

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — for catching
  5. mate — to breed
  6. press — a publisher
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. net — after costs
  10. last — finally
  11. mate — a partner
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. press — newspapers
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mate — a friend
  19. press — to push
  20. last — final
  21. last — to go on
  22. scale — in music
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. scale — size or range

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