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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. content — the amount
  3. rash — hasty
  4. object — an aim
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. swing — to play on
  7. press — newspapers
  8. rush — hurry
  9. charge — electricity
  10. charge — a price
  11. bass — low music
  12. press — a publisher
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bass — the fish
  15. object — a thing
  16. rash — a series
  17. content — happy
  18. object — to protest
  19. swing — music
  20. charge — in control
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. press — to push
  24. swing — in golf

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