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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. press — newspapers
  4. game — a match
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mark — a grade
  8. rush — hurry
  9. ground — a position
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. game — wild animals
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — the earth
  14. mark — a trace
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. shower — rain
  19. press — a publisher
  20. bass — the fish
  21. press — to push
  22. shower — to wash
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chair — to sit on

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