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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. suit — in cards
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. suit — to fit
  7. band — a ring
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. staff — employees
  11. clip — to cut
  12. band — a music group
  13. press — newspapers
  14. pass — a permit
  15. staff — employees
  16. press — to push
  17. press — a publisher
  18. face — part of the head
  19. suit — clothes
  20. face — to point toward
  21. clip — a video
  22. staff — a stick
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. face — to confront

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