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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. rush — hurry
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. press — to push
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. board — a committee
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bass — low music
  14. file — a tool
  15. bass — the fish
  16. file — a document
  17. scale — in music
  18. press — a publisher
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. board — to get on
  22. press — newspapers
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. file — a line of people

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