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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. rash — a series
  3. press — a publisher
  4. rash — hasty
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. press — newspapers
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — to play on
  9. degree — an amount
  10. swing — in golf
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. degree — from a university
  14. press — to push
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. degree — temperature
  18. bass — low 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