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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — to paddle
  3. bass — low music
  4. press — a publisher
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — to visit
  7. face — to confront
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the sport
  11. club — for golf
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. pop — soda
  14. club — for dancing
  15. face — part of the head
  16. bass — the fish
  17. club — a group
  18. face — to point toward
  19. press — newspapers
  20. stock — shares
  21. row — a line
  22. stock — goods
  23. press — to push
  24. bass — the instrument

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