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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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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: press · cold · scale · ball · roll · rash · cabinet · toast

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. press — newspapers
  3. cold — not warm
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. roll — a cake
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. rash — a series
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. ball — a dance
  13. scale — size or range
  14. ball — a great time
  15. press — a publisher
  16. roll — a list
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. press — to push
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. toast — bread
  24. rash — hasty

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