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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: press · sharp · can · bass · straw · cap · scale · club

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  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. sharp — clever
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. club — a group
  4. bass — the fish
  5. press — to push
  6. scale — in music
  7. club — for golf
  8. club — for dancing
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a lid
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. press — newspapers
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. scale — size or range
  17. can — a tin
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. can — to be able to
  21. press — a publisher
  22. can — a tin
  23. cap — a hat
  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