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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. press — a publisher
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. press — newspapers
  7. band — a music group
  8. rash — a series
  9. stock — shares
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. press — to push
  13. rash — hasty
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. march — music
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rush — hurry
  18. bass — low music
  19. bass — the fish
  20. stock — goods
  21. march — the month
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. rash — on the skin

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