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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. press — to push
  3. land — a country
  4. bass — the fish
  5. fall — to drop
  6. march — music
  7. net — in sport
  8. bass — low music
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. net — for catching
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. fall — the season
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — ground
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — a publisher
  19. fall — to drop
  20. can — to be able to
  21. march — the month
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. net — after costs
  24. cabinet — ministers

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