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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. press — a publisher
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. last — final
  7. last — finally
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. stock — shares
  10. swing — to play on
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a hole
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. vault — a safe
  15. stock — goods
  16. swing — in golf
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. swing — music
  19. press — to push
  20. last — to go on
  21. bass — low music
  22. bass — the fish
  23. press — newspapers
  24. stock — a soup base

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