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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: firm · bass · press · pound · kid · pit

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bass — low music
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. firm — decided
  5. bass — the fish
  6. press — newspapers
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — child
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pound — a weight
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pit — in a race
  14. press — to push
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. firm — a company
  17. kid — to tease
  18. firm — steady

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