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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. press — a publisher
  5. land — to come down
  6. court — of law
  7. land — a country
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. cue — for pool
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. cue — a hint
  12. dip — to sink
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — not warm
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. fine — all right
  17. land — ground
  18. bass — low music
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — for sport
  21. press — to push
  22. fine — high quality
  23. cue — a signal
  24. bass — the fish

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