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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 116 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: scale · tear · bound · bowl · racket · game · sharp · press

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. press — a publisher
  3. bound — certain
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bound — tied together
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — a match
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. scale — in music
  13. bound — obliged
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. press — to push
  16. tear — to rip
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. game — wild animals
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. press — newspapers
  24. tear — from crying

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