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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. staff — employees
  6. press — a publisher
  7. pop — soda
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bound — tied together
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cell — in biology
  13. bass — low music
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. press — newspapers
  16. pop — music
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. staff — employees
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — certain
  21. staff — a stick
  22. bass — the fish
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. press — to push

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