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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. press — a publisher
  3. bass — the fish
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. scale — size or range
  7. press — to push
  8. mug — a face
  9. bass — low music
  10. mug — to rob
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. hand — help
  15. press — newspapers
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — a country
  21. hand — in cards
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. land — ground
  24. scale — in music

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