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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. press — newspapers
  3. bass — low music
  4. tear — from crying
  5. press — to push
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. tear — to rip
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. chip — for betting
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. perch — the fish
  17. hand — help
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bass — the fish
  21. tear — from crying
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. press — a publisher
  24. chip — to eat

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