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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: press · sharp · snap · date · race · bark · pop · scale

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. press — to push
  3. press — newspapers
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — soda
  6. snap — to click
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. race — the arms race
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. race — humankind
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. pop — to visit
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bark — to shout
  18. race — a contest
  19. date — the fruit
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. scale — size or range
  22. press — a publisher
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. sharp — clever

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