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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. tube — a container
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. pitch — completely
  7. bound — tied together
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bass — the fish
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. squash — to crush
  14. press — a publisher
  15. press — newspapers
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. squash — the sport
  19. tube — the underground
  20. chair — a leader
  21. press — to push
  22. bass — low music
  23. bound — certain
  24. tube — in a tire

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