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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. march — the month
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. chip — for betting
  5. kid — child
  6. press — a publisher
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — to push
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — to visit
  11. bass — the fish
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. kid — to tease
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. pop — music
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. bass — low 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