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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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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: fork · bass · press · ruler · pop · key · chest · suit

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. pop — music
  3. bass — low music
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — in a road
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. suit — in cards
  9. suit — clothes
  10. key — the most important part
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. suit — to fit
  14. pop — to visit
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. chest — of your body
  17. key — for a lock
  18. pop — soda
  19. chest — a box
  20. key — in music
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. chest — of your body
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — a publisher

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