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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bank — for money
  3. charge — in control
  4. rash — a series
  5. press — to push
  6. fine — all right
  7. rash — hasty
  8. face — to point toward
  9. file — a line of people
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. file — a tool
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. file — a document
  14. charge — a price
  15. charge — electricity
  16. press — a publisher
  17. face — to confront
  18. fine — high quality
  19. face — part of the head
  20. bank — for money
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bass — the fish
  23. press — newspapers
  24. bank — of a river

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