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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. bass — low music
  3. file — a line of people
  4. bear — the animal
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — to visit
  8. press — to push
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a document
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — a publisher
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bass — the fish
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. degree — an amount

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