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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: bat · ruler · press · bay · deal · coach · net · scale

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. net — for catching
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. press — to push
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. scale — size or range
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. press — a publisher
  16. net — in sport
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. bat — the animal
  20. scale — in music
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. deal — to handle
  23. net — after costs
  24. press — newspapers

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