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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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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. mark — a grade
  3. press — a publisher
  4. fine — high quality
  5. spring — the season
  6. press — newspapers
  7. spring — a coil
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bass — the fish
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. press — to push
  14. spring — of water
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bass — low music
  18. mark — a trace

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