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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. shower — rain
  3. spell — magic
  4. roll — a list
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. press — to push
  8. press — a publisher
  9. snap — to click
  10. bass — low music
  11. root — the cause
  12. spell — letters
  13. shower — to wash
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. root — of a plant
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. fine — all right
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. roll — a cake
  21. fine — high quality
  22. root — of a word
  23. press — newspapers
  24. spell — a short time

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