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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bass — the fish
  3. press — a publisher
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. band — a ring
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. press — newspapers
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bass — low music
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. press — to push
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. content — the amount
  22. content — happy
  23. deal — to handle
  24. band — a music group

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