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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 · current · fork · toast · ground · chair · snap

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. press — to push
  3. press — newspapers
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. toast — bread
  8. current — electric
  9. fork — in a road
  10. bass — the fish
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. bass — low music
  13. ground — a position
  14. ground — the earth
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. current — of water
  17. snap — to click
  18. current — happening now
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. press — a publisher
  21. chair — a leader
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. ground — crushed
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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