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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. clip — a video
  3. drill — the tool
  4. drill — army training
  5. chest — of your body
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. present — the time now
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. drill — a practice
  11. present — a gift
  12. key — for a lock
  13. clip — to cut
  14. key — the most important part
  15. press — newspapers
  16. chest — of your body
  17. present — there
  18. clip — for paper
  19. key — in music
  20. press — to push
  21. press — a publisher
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. bass — low music
  24. jam — in traffic

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