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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. press — to push
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. march — music
  6. press — newspapers
  7. deal — to handle
  8. march — the month
  9. wound — an injury
  10. march — the month
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. rock — music
  13. rock — a stone
  14. bass — the fish
  15. rest — a break
  16. rest — what's left
  17. press — a publisher
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. bass — low music
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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