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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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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: rule · scale · chest · fork · mouse · deal · press · straw

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. press — newspapers
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. chest — of your body
  6. rule — government
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. fork — in a road
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. press — to push
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. chest — of your body
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. scale — in music
  17. press — a publisher
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. deal — to handle
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. scale — size or range
  22. rule — a law
  23. chest — a box
  24. fork — a garden tool

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