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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: fine · cell · bass · press · scale · mouse · march · straw

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. march — the month
  3. cell — in biology
  4. press — a publisher
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. scale — size or range
  8. cell — a phone
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. bass — the fish
  12. fine — high quality
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. fine — all right
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. press — newspapers
  20. scale — in music
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. press — to push
  23. bass — low music
  24. straw — a straw man

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