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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. press — a publisher
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. face — to confront
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a song
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. game — a match
  11. suit — clothes
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. face — to point toward
  15. bass — low music
  16. game — wild animals
  17. track — a path
  18. press — newspapers
  19. suit — to fit
  20. bass — the fish
  21. prune — to trim
  22. press — to push
  23. suit — in cards
  24. face — part of the head

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