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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. tube — a container
  3. mate — a partner
  4. press — to push
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. lean — to bend
  7. press — a publisher
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. field — for sport
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. lean — thin
  15. mate — to breed
  16. field — farmland
  17. tube — the underground
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. press — newspapers
  21. stand — to bear
  22. mate — a friend
  23. field — a subject
  24. bass — the fish

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