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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. track — a song
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bass — low music
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — to wash
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. track — to keep track
  9. press — newspapers
  10. fine — all right
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. press — a publisher
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. track — a path
  15. date — the fruit
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bass — the fish
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. fine — high quality
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. wind — moving air
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. press — to push

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