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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: pitcher · face · file · bass · stick · press · fan · ground

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. ground — the earth
  3. press — to push
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. file — a line of people
  6. face — to confront
  7. bass — the fish
  8. ground — a position
  9. ground — crushed
  10. face — to point toward
  11. file — a document
  12. press — a publisher
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. file — a tool
  17. press — newspapers
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. face — part of the head
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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