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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. press — newspapers
  6. suit — in cards
  7. chair — a leader
  8. drill — the tool
  9. net — after costs
  10. bass — low music
  11. drill — a practice
  12. clip — for paper
  13. bass — the fish
  14. press — to push
  15. drill — army training
  16. net — in sport
  17. press — a publisher
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — a video
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. suit — clothes
  22. net — for catching
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. chair — a professorship

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