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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.

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
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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: spell · safe · press · rock · bowl · last · scale · rest

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. spell — letters
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. rest — a break
  6. press — a publisher
  7. press — to push
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. last — to go on
  10. scale — size or range
  11. last — final
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. rest — what's left
  14. last — finally
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. spell — a short time
  17. rock — a stone
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. spell — magic
  20. press — newspapers
  21. rest — what's left
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. scale — in music

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