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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: cold · calf · bass · march · rash · mug · press · mark

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. press — a publisher
  3. march — music
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the fish
  8. mark — a trace
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. mug — to rob
  11. mark — a grade
  12. rash — a series
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. press — newspapers
  15. mug — a face
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. press — to push
  18. march — the month
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. mug — a cup
  22. rash — hasty
  23. march — the month
  24. cold — an illness

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