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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 124 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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. press — newspapers
  6. wake — a trail
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. press — a publisher
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. bass — low music
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bass — the fish
  16. scale — in music
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. hand — in cards
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. hand — help
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. scale — size or range

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