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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. press — to push
  4. club — a group
  5. bass — low music
  6. roll — a cake
  7. rock — a stone
  8. mark — a grade
  9. press — newspapers
  10. roll — a list
  11. rock — music
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. club — for golf
  16. press — a publisher
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — an amount
  19. mark — a trace
  20. club — for dancing
  21. bass — the fish
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. degree — from a university

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