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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. press — newspapers
  3. rule — a law
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. craft — a skill
  7. bass — low music
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. press — to push
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. rule — government
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. vault — a safe
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bulb — for light
  16. spring — the season
  17. craft — boats
  18. spring — a coil
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. spring — of water
  22. bass — the fish
  23. press — a publisher
  24. bulb — for light

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