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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bore — to tire
  3. swing — music
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bass — low music
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — of ice
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. foot — a measure
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. field — a subject
  14. bore — to drill
  15. field — for sport
  16. press — newspapers
  17. cap — a lid
  18. press — to push
  19. bass — the fish
  20. press — a publisher
  21. rush — hurry
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — in golf
  24. field — farmland

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