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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mug — a cup
  3. stock — shares
  4. rule — a law
  5. march — the month
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. mug — a face
  8. cell — a phone
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. rule — government
  12. mug — to rob
  13. press — to push
  14. stock — goods
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. snap — to click
  17. press — newspapers
  18. cell — in biology
  19. bass — the fish
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. press — a publisher
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. march — music
  24. bass — low music

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