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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. press — a publisher
  3. bound — certain
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bass — low music
  6. press — to push
  7. firm — steady
  8. cap — a hat
  9. bat — the animal
  10. dip — to sink
  11. firm — a company
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. bound — obliged
  14. cap — a lid
  15. press — newspapers
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — to drill

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