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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 124 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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. club — a group
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bass — low music
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. track — to keep track
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. shower — to wash
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. club — for dancing
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. shower — rain
  15. track — a song
  16. bass — the fish
  17. track — a path
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — to push
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. press — newspapers
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. club — for golf
  24. ruler — for measuring

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