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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. perch — the fish
  4. press — newspapers
  5. bass — low music
  6. wind — moving air
  7. root — of a plant
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. root — of a word
  14. press — to push
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. court — of law
  17. court — for sport
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. court — of a king
  20. root — the cause
  21. press — a publisher
  22. wind — moving air
  23. cell — in biology
  24. bass — the instrument

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