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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. bank — of a river
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. club — for dancing
  7. bank — for money
  8. club — a group
  9. race — humankind
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — clever
  12. press — a publisher
  13. bass — the fish
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. press — to push
  17. race — a contest
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. race — the arms race
  20. club — for golf
  21. press — newspapers
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. bank — for money

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