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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. press — a publisher
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. face — to point toward
  6. staff — employees
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. fork — in a road
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. net — in sport
  12. press — to push
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — after costs
  15. bass — the fish
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. face — part of the head
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. deal — to handle
  20. face — to confront
  21. bass — low music
  22. staff — a stick
  23. staff — employees
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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