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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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. rock — music
  3. game — a match
  4. rock — a stone
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bass — the fish
  8. squash — to crush
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. squash — the sport
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. pop — to visit
  13. bass — low music
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. press — a publisher
  18. pass — a permit
  19. press — to push
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. pop — soda
  22. press — newspapers
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. pop — 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