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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: tear · net · press · safe · scale · key · hand · drill

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — after costs
  3. scale — in music
  4. key — for a lock
  5. press — a publisher
  6. net — for catching
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. hand — in cards
  9. drill — army training
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. press — newspapers
  14. tear — from crying
  15. drill — the tool
  16. key — the most important part
  17. tear — from crying
  18. drill — a practice
  19. key — in music
  20. hand — help
  21. press — to push
  22. scale — size or range
  23. tear — to rip
  24. safe — out of danger

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