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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. present — a gift
  3. press — newspapers
  4. last — finally
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. press — a publisher
  7. present — there
  8. bass — low music
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. rash — a series
  11. last — final
  12. bass — the fish
  13. swing — music
  14. kick — in football
  15. present — the time now
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. swing — in golf
  18. rash — hasty
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. bark — to shout
  21. swing — to play on
  22. press — to push
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. last — to go on

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