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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. press — newspapers
  4. bass — the fish
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. land — ground
  9. press — a publisher
  10. land — to come down
  11. hand — help
  12. lean — to bend
  13. land — a country
  14. rash — a series
  15. degree — temperature
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. lean — thin
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. degree — from a university
  22. press — to push
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bass — low 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