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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. cell — a phone
  4. bass — the fish
  5. cell — in biology
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. march — the month
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. scale — size or range
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. press — newspapers
  18. march — the month
  19. press — to push
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bass — low music
  22. scale — in music
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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