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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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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. press — a publisher
  5. band — a ring
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. fine — high quality
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. fine — all right
  11. land — a country
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. land — ground
  14. kid — child
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. date — the fruit
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. land — to come down
  20. band — a music group
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. press — to push
  23. kid — to tease
  24. press — newspapers

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