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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. can — a tin
  3. net — for catching
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. face — to point toward
  8. press — newspapers
  9. press — a publisher
  10. net — in sport
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. net — after costs
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bass — low music
  17. can — a tin
  18. bass — the fish
  19. face — part of the head
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. face — to confront
  22. band — a ring
  23. band — a music group
  24. can — to be able to

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