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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: mate · pound · press · rest · club · scale · ball · hand

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. press — newspapers
  3. hand — help
  4. mate — a partner
  5. ball — a great time
  6. rest — a break
  7. pound — a weight
  8. scale — size or range
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a dance
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — in cards
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. club — for dancing
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. club — for golf
  17. club — a group
  18. mate — a friend
  19. rest — what's left
  20. press — to push
  21. scale — in music
  22. mate — to breed
  23. rest — what's left
  24. press — a publisher

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