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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. bass — low music
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. cell — a phone
  8. last — to go on
  9. root — of a plant
  10. bass — the fish
  11. press — newspapers
  12. last — finally
  13. root — of a word
  14. cell — in biology
  15. land — to come down
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. land — a country
  18. deal — to handle
  19. press — a publisher
  20. last — final
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. press — to push
  23. vault — a safe
  24. root — the cause

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