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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. suit — to fit
  3. mug — a face
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bass — the fish
  6. suit — in cards
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cold — not warm
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. spell — a short time
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — magic
  14. mug — a cup
  15. bass — low music
  16. mug — to rob
  17. suit — clothes
  18. press — newspapers
  19. cold — an illness
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. press — a publisher
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. press — to push

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