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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bass — low music
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. bass — the fish
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. hand — in cards
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. press — a publisher
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. charge — electricity
  13. perch — the fish
  14. hand — help
  15. charge — in control
  16. stem — to come from
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. charge — a price
  20. press — to push
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. dip — to sink
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. press — newspapers

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