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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 120 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 · content · kick · bound · cabinet · cue · scale · stick

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. press — newspapers
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. press — a publisher
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. bound — tied together
  9. content — the amount
  10. cue — a signal
  11. content — happy
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bound — certain
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. scale — in music
  19. press — to push
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. cue — for pool
  23. bound — obliged
  24. kick — in football

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