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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — low music
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. toast — bread
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. last — finally
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bear — the animal
  9. shower — to wash
  10. last — final
  11. court — of a king
  12. shower — rain
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. court — for sport
  16. bear — the animal
  17. press — to push
  18. bass — the fish
  19. court — of law
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. press — newspapers
  22. can — to be able to
  23. last — to go on
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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