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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. kick — in football
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bear — the animal
  5. swing — to play on
  6. game — wild animals
  7. press — a publisher
  8. cue — a hint
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bass — the fish
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a hole
  15. press — newspapers
  16. cue — a signal
  17. press — to push
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. swing — music
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. cue — for pool
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. swing — in golf
  24. game — a match

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