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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. press — newspapers
  4. ground — crushed
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. press — a publisher
  7. club — for dancing
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. ground — a position
  10. club — for golf
  11. ground — the earth
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. bass — low music
  16. plane — a tool
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. kick — in football
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. press — to push
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stand — to bear

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