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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.

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: pop · press · content · hand · scale · net · temple · staff

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. hand — help
  4. staff — employees
  5. pop — to visit
  6. hand — in cards
  7. net — in sport
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. staff — employees
  12. pop — music
  13. content — happy
  14. scale — in music
  15. net — after costs
  16. scale — size or range
  17. staff — a stick
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — to push
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. net — for catching
  22. press — newspapers
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. content — the amount

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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