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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 120 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  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. pop — to visit
  2. bass — low music
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. spring — a coil
  5. press — to push
  6. mate — to breed
  7. spring — the season
  8. pop — soda
  9. bass — the fish
  10. press — newspapers
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. present — a gift
  13. spring — of water
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. mate — a friend
  16. pop — music
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. present — there
  19. mate — a partner
  20. present — the time now
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bowl — to roll
  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