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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 shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. mug — to rob
  3. ball — a great time
  4. mug — a cup
  5. press — newspapers
  6. rush — hurry
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — for light
  10. shower — rain
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. bass — the fish
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. capital — a city
  15. bass — low music
  16. mug — a face
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. ball — a dance
  19. shower — to wash
  20. capital — money
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. press — to push
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. rush — a thrill

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