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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. club — a group
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — a division
  7. degree — an amount
  8. press — a publisher
  9. club — for golf
  10. court — of law
  11. court — for sport
  12. press — to push
  13. degree — temperature
  14. chair — a leader
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. court — of a king
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. bass — the fish
  20. degree — from a university
  21. club — for dancing
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bass — low music
  24. sharp — clever

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