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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. game — wild animals
  4. track — a path
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. press — to push
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. press — a publisher
  10. saw — the tool
  11. track — to keep track
  12. bass — low music
  13. saw — the tool
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. press — newspapers
  16. march — the month
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bass — the fish
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. march — the month
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. march — music
  24. game — a match

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