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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. press — a publisher
  4. tube — the underground
  5. ball — a great time
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tube — a container
  9. band — a ring
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rash — a series
  12. press — to push
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bass — the fish
  16. face — part of the head
  17. rash — hasty
  18. face — to point toward
  19. ball — a dance
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. press — newspapers
  24. face — to confront

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