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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. shower — rain
  3. press — to push
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. ground — a position
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. press — a publisher
  8. file — a document
  9. shower — to wash
  10. tear — from crying
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bass — the fish
  15. file — a line of people
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. file — a tool
  19. tear — to rip
  20. ground — crushed
  21. ground — the earth
  22. press — newspapers
  23. bass — low music
  24. temple — a place of worship

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