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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 · cabinet · bat · file · track · content · trunk · scale

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. scale — size or range
  4. press — newspapers
  5. press — a publisher
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. scale — in music
  8. file — a document
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. content — the amount
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. press — to push
  13. file — a line of people
  14. content — happy
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. track — to keep track
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. file — a tool
  19. track — a song
  20. track — a path
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bat — the animal
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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