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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 120 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. staff — employees
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. staff — a stick
  5. scale — in music
  6. net — after costs
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. press — newspapers
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. net — in sport
  14. mine — for digging
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. bass — the fish
  17. saw — the tool
  18. press — to push
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. press — a publisher
  21. scale — size or range
  22. staff — employees
  23. net — for catching
  24. mine — belonging to me

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