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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: scale · rash · pitch · bass · roll · cell · press · chair

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. press — a publisher
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. roll — a cake
  6. scale — size or range
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. chair — a leader
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. rash — hasty
  11. scale — in music
  12. bass — the fish
  13. rash — a series
  14. roll — a list
  15. cell — in biology
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — completely
  18. press — newspapers
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. press — to push
  21. bass — low music
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. bass — the instrument

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