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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 124 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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. object — a thing
  3. date — the fruit
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. scale — in music
  6. press — to push
  7. spring — the season
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. press — a publisher
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. object — to protest
  16. scale — size or range
  17. saw — the tool
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. spring — of water
  20. object — an aim
  21. spring — a coil
  22. press — newspapers
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — the fish

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