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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 120 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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. squash — the sport
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. press — newspapers
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bass — the fish
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. bat — the animal
  11. press — to push
  12. press — a publisher
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bass — low music
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. squash — to crush
  19. bear — the animal
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. bass — the instrument

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