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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · kid · fine · firm · march · bass · straw · scale

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. press — a publisher
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. kid — child
  7. march — the month
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — low music
  10. firm — steady
  11. march — the month
  12. fine — all right
  13. firm — decided
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — to push
  16. fine — high quality
  17. firm — a company
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. scale — in music
  21. march — music
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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