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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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Word bank
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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. march — the month
  3. cue — for pool
  4. bass — the fish
  5. fine — all right
  6. stock — goods
  7. press — a publisher
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. press — to push
  12. cell — a phone
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cue — a hint
  19. stock — shares
  20. march — music
  21. press — newspapers
  22. fine — high quality
  23. march — the month
  24. cue — a signal

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