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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — the fish
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. press — a publisher
  5. capital — money
  6. degree — from a university
  7. key — in music
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. press — newspapers
  10. saw — the tool
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. degree — temperature
  13. key — for a lock
  14. degree — an amount
  15. press — to push
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. hand — in cards
  21. saw — the tool
  22. key — the most important part
  23. bass — low music
  24. capital — a city

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