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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: saw · squash · dip · hand · scale · file · net · press

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. net — for catching
  3. scale — size or range
  4. dip — to sink
  5. squash — the sport
  6. file — a tool
  7. press — to push
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. saw — the tool
  10. net — after costs
  11. saw — the tool
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. press — newspapers
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a document
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. net — in sport
  18. scale — in music
  19. hand — in cards
  20. press — a publisher
  21. squash — to crush
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. hand — help

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