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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. fall — to drop
  3. press — newspapers
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. press — a publisher
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. squash — the sport
  10. bass — the fish
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. court — for sport
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. fall — the season
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — of law
  19. bass — low music
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. squash — to crush
  24. fall — to drop

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