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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. pitch — completely
  3. bass — the fish
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bass — low music
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. cold — not warm
  8. staff — employees
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — to push
  11. staff — a stick
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. staff — employees
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. wake — a trail
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. cold — an illness
  18. saw — the tool
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. press — newspapers
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. wake — before a funeral

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