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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. kid — child
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. kid — to tease
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. ball — a dance
  9. bass — low music
  10. press — a publisher
  11. press — to push
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mate — a partner
  14. bass — the fish
  15. track — a song
  16. stand — to bear
  17. track — to keep track
  18. press — newspapers
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. track — a path
  23. mate — to breed
  24. stand — on your feet

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