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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: last · stick · press · chest · pit · row · scale · chip

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. scale — in music
  3. chest — of your body
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. last — finally
  7. chip — to eat
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. scale — size or range
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — a publisher
  13. pit — in a race
  14. row — to paddle
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. chest — of your body
  17. last — to go on
  18. press — to push
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. last — final
  21. chip — for betting
  22. chest — a box
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. pit — a hole

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