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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. tube — the underground
  3. bass — the fish
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. mate — a friend
  7. bass — low music
  8. object — a thing
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tube — a container
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. object — an aim
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mate — to breed
  15. toast — bread
  16. pitch — completely
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a match
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. press — to push
  23. object — to protest
  24. press — a publisher

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