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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. rock — a stone
  4. degree — from a university
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. cell — in biology
  7. degree — an amount
  8. rash — a series
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — to push
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. press — a publisher
  16. cell — a phone
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. bass — the fish
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rock — music
  21. wake — a trail
  22. degree — temperature
  23. sharp — clever
  24. rock — to move gently

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