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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: bass · press · mug · charge · foot · bat · object · ground

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. object — to protest
  3. press — a publisher
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. foot — a measure
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. ground — crushed
  8. charge — in control
  9. press — to push
  10. bass — the fish
  11. press — newspapers
  12. ground — the earth
  13. mug — to rob
  14. bat — the animal
  15. ground — a position
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. charge — a price
  18. mug — a face
  19. charge — electricity
  20. mug — a cup
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. object — a thing
  23. bass — low music
  24. object — an aim

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