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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. can — to be able to
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bass — the fish
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mine — for digging
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bass — low music
  12. bark — to shout
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. press — to push
  16. can — a tin
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. can — a tin
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. snap — to click
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cabinet — ministers

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