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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 116 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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. net — in sport
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. suit — clothes
  7. mark — a trace
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — help
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. suit — to fit
  12. press — a publisher
  13. suit — in cards
  14. press — to push
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. lean — thin
  20. bass — the fish
  21. mark — a grade
  22. net — for catching
  23. press — newspapers
  24. net — after costs

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