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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. land — ground
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. land — to come down
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bass — the fish
  12. land — a country
  13. press — to push
  14. band — a music group
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. press — newspapers
  18. band — a ring
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. snap — to click
  21. press — a publisher
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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