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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. rash — hasty
  3. press — a publisher
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bound — certain
  6. bass — the fish
  7. wax — to grow
  8. capital — a city
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. bound — obliged
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. capital — money
  13. kick — in football
  14. press — to push
  15. bound — tied together
  16. rash — a series
  17. bass — low music
  18. suit — clothes
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. suit — in cards
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. suit — to fit
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. press — newspapers

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