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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. bass — low music
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. press — newspapers
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. rush — hurry
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. club — for dancing
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. press — to push
  14. press — a publisher
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bass — the fish
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. club — a group
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wax — to grow

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