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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bass — the fish
  3. fine — all right
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. saw — the tool
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. squash — to crush
  10. press — to push
  11. bass — low music
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bank — for money
  14. press — a publisher
  15. bank — for money
  16. squash — the sport
  17. fine — high quality
  18. bark — to shout
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bank — of a river
  23. press — newspapers
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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