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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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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. tube — the underground
  4. press — newspapers
  5. kick — in football
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. press — to push
  8. last — to go on
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. last — final
  12. mark — a trace
  13. bass — the fish
  14. tube — a container
  15. bass — low music
  16. press — a publisher
  17. last — finally
  18. mark — a grade

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