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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bass — the fish
  4. rash — a series
  5. march — the month
  6. bear — the animal
  7. cell — a phone
  8. board — a committee
  9. board — to get on
  10. bear — the animal
  11. press — to push
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bass — low music
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. cell — in biology
  20. march — music
  21. press — a publisher
  22. rash — hasty
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. march — the month

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