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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. 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. bat — for baseball
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — ground
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. mug — a face
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. fine — all right
  8. march — the month
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. fine — high quality
  11. land — a country
  12. bass — the fish
  13. mug — a cup
  14. press — a publisher
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. mug — to rob
  17. march — the month
  18. bat — the animal
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. march — music
  21. press — newspapers
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. press — to push
  24. 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