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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bass · press · last · mate · row · kick · scale · deal

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. press — to push
  5. press — a publisher
  6. mate — to breed
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — final
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — size or range
  11. last — finally
  12. kick — in football
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. press — newspapers
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. row — a line
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. mate — a partner
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. bass — low music
  22. row — to paddle
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. deal — to handle

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