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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. press — a publisher
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bass — low music
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rest — a break
  11. rash — a series
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. rush — hurry
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. press — to push
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. press — newspapers
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. dip — to sink
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. nail — for a hammer

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