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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.

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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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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: capital · press · degree · leaves · scale · chest · mouse · kick

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  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. press — a publisher
  2. chest — of your body
  3. press — newspapers
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. capital — money
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. kick — in football
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. chest — a box
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. scale — size or range
  14. degree — an amount
  15. degree — temperature
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. degree — from a university
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. press — to push
  21. chest — of your body
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. capital — a city
  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