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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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Word bank
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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. press — to push
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. mate — a friend
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. press — a publisher
  9. fine — all right
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. press — newspapers
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. fine — high quality
  14. cold — an illness
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. snap — to click
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. mate — a partner
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bass — the fish
  22. pound — a weight
  23. sharp — clever
  24. mate — to breed

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