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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. key — for a lock
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bass — low music
  5. chair — a leader
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. key — the most important part
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. rest — what's left
  10. press — to push
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bound — tied together
  15. prune — to trim
  16. press — a publisher
  17. prune — to trim
  18. press — newspapers
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — certain
  22. key — in music
  23. rest — a break
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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