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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've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the fish
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ground — a position
  7. pop — music
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. content — happy
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — to push
  13. content — the amount
  14. press — newspapers
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. pop — to visit
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. pound — a weight
  19. pop — soda
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. ground — crushed
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. content — videos and posts

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