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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. key — in music
  4. press — a publisher
  5. key — the most important part
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. press — newspapers
  8. shower — rain
  9. bass — the fish
  10. clip — a video
  11. press — to push
  12. bass — low music
  13. clip — to cut
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. clip — for paper
  16. key — for a lock
  17. date — the fruit
  18. shower — to wash

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