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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. bass — the fish
  3. kid — to tease
  4. pop — music
  5. net — in sport
  6. bass — low music
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. press — newspapers
  9. press — to push
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. net — for catching
  13. stock — shares
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. rest — what's left
  16. saw — the tool
  17. net — after costs
  18. rest — a break
  19. rest — what's left
  20. stock — goods
  21. pop — to visit
  22. kid — child
  23. press — a publisher
  24. saw — the tool

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