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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. press — to push
  3. bass — the fish
  4. game — wild animals
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. ball — a great time
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. press — newspapers
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. ball — a dance
  13. press — a publisher
  14. sharp — clever
  15. game — a match
  16. bass — low music
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wind — moving air
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. ball — a round shape

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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