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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. press — to push
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. press — a publisher
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. band — a music group
  9. object — to protest
  10. fine — all right
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. shower — rain
  13. band — a ring
  14. object — an aim
  15. press — newspapers
  16. object — a thing
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fine — a penalty

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