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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.

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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: press · kid · pit · pass · scale · cue · wind · snap

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. wind — moving air
  4. snap — to click
  5. kid — to tease
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cue — for pool
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — size or range
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. pit — a hole
  14. scale — in music
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. press — a publisher
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. press — newspapers
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pass — a permit
  24. press — to push

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