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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — low music
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pit — a hole
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. press — newspapers
  10. bass — the fish
  11. board — a committee
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. prune — to trim
  14. plane — a tool
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. press — a publisher
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. board — to get on
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. press — to push
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. mine — for digging
  24. pit — in a race

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