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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. press — to push
  3. pit — a hole
  4. press — newspapers
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. pit — in a race
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. squash — the sport
  13. stem — to come from
  14. file — a tool
  15. rash — a series
  16. file — a line of people
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. rash — hasty
  19. press — a publisher
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bass — low music
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. file — a document

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