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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bear — the animal
  3. fall — the season
  4. bass — low music
  5. press — to push
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bat — the animal
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. club — for golf
  14. rule — a law
  15. bass — the fish
  16. rule — government
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. snap — to click
  19. fall — to drop
  20. club — a group
  21. press — newspapers
  22. club — for dancing
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  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