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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. lie — to recline
  3. press — a publisher
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. press — to push
  6. tube — a container
  7. key — for a lock
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. tube — the underground
  10. craft — boats
  11. chest — a box
  12. key — in music
  13. pass — a permit
  14. bass — low music
  15. bass — the fish
  16. chest — of your body
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. key — the most important part
  21. chest — of your body
  22. press — newspapers
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. bass — the instrument

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