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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. press — newspapers
  4. rule — government
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — of ice
  9. bass — the fish
  10. spring — the season
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. spring — a coil
  14. press — a publisher
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. spring — of water
  19. cap — a hat
  20. mark — a trace
  21. rule — a law
  22. press — to push
  23. mark — a grade
  24. bass — low music

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