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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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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. season — in sport
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. bass — low music
  5. key — the most important part
  6. face — to confront
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — completely
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. press — newspapers
  13. face — to point toward
  14. key — for a lock
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. season — of the year
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bass — the fish
  19. branch — a division
  20. key — in music
  21. face — part of the head
  22. deal — to handle
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. press — a publisher

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