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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. firm — decided
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bass — the fish
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. fine — high quality
  10. spell — a short time
  11. pitch — completely
  12. spell — magic
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. firm — a company
  16. press — to push
  17. spell — letters
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. press — a publisher
  20. fine — all right
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. press — newspapers
  23. firm — steady
  24. prune — to trim

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