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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 116 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: content · kid · rest · press · cabinet · board · race · scale

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. content — happy
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — what's left
  5. board — to get on
  6. board — a committee
  7. press — to push
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. race — humankind
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. race — a contest
  14. scale — in music
  15. kid — child
  16. press — a publisher
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. kid — to tease
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. rest — a break
  22. press — newspapers
  23. content — the amount
  24. scale — size or range

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