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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. bass — low music
  3. root — the cause
  4. cap — a lid
  5. mug — a cup
  6. rash — a series
  7. press — newspapers
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. scale — in music
  10. root — of a plant
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. bass — the fish
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. rash — hasty
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. press — to push
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mug — a face
  21. press — a publisher
  22. cap — a hat
  23. scale — size or range
  24. cap — of ice

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