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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 120 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
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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: shower · arm · press · rest · game · key · present · bass

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  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. bass — the fish
  2. present — there
  3. rest — what's left
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. game — a match
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. rest — what's left
  9. key — the most important part
  10. press — to push
  11. key — for a lock
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. present — a gift
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. present — the time now
  17. key — in music
  18. game — wild animals
  19. press — newspapers
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. rest — a break
  22. shower — rain
  23. press — a publisher
  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