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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.

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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: kid · bass · pit · march · mine · straw · charge · press

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. press — a publisher
  5. march — the month
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. bass — low music
  10. pit — a hole
  11. kid — to tease
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. charge — electricity
  14. pit — in a race
  15. charge — in control
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. charge — a price
  18. bass — the fish
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. press — to push
  21. kid — child
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. mine — for digging
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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