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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bass — low music
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. press — to push
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bulb — for light
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — to wash
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — newspapers
  19. capital — money
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. bass — the fish
  22. capital — a city
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bulb — for light

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