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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  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. bass — low music
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. rest — what's left
  4. craft — a skill
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — completely
  7. craft — boats
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — the fish
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. root — of a word
  14. rest — a break
  15. press — newspapers
  16. field — a subject
  17. press — to push
  18. squash — the sport
  19. rest — what's left
  20. root — the cause
  21. field — for sport
  22. root — of a plant
  23. field — farmland
  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