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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: stand · snap · sharp · pop · chair · press · scale · face

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. pop — to visit
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. face — part of the head
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. snap — to click
  9. stand — to bear
  10. scale — in music
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — to point toward
  13. press — to push
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — a publisher
  16. pop — music
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chair — a leader
  19. pop — soda
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. scale — size or range

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