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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bass — the fish
  3. wound — an injury
  4. suit — in cards
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. suit — clothes
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. press — a publisher
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — to shout
  15. press — newspapers
  16. suit — to fit
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — in cards
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. press — to push
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bass — low music

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