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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. press — a publisher
  3. shower — to wash
  4. clip — for paper
  5. press — to push
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. clip — a video
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. fork — in a road
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. bass — low music
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. shower — rain
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. date — the fruit
  22. press — newspapers
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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