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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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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. club — for dancing
  4. club — for golf
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bass — low music
  7. club — a group
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. charge — in control
  10. lean — to bend
  11. charge — electricity
  12. press — to push
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. press — newspapers
  15. lean — thin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. fall — to drop
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. press — a publisher
  20. fall — the season
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. can — a tin
  23. charge — a price
  24. fall — to drop

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