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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. press — to push
  4. lie — to recline
  5. land — a country
  6. season — in sport
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — to crush
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. perch — the fish
  13. land — ground
  14. season — of the year
  15. squash — the sport
  16. bass — the fish
  17. land — to come down
  18. press — newspapers
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. hand — in cards
  24. press — a publisher

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