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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. rest — what's left
  4. shower — rain
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. rest — a break
  7. press — to push
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. press — newspapers
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. bass — low music
  14. kick — in football
  15. bat — the animal
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. shower — to wash
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bass — the fish
  23. dip — to sink
  24. game — a match

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