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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. press — a publisher
  5. press — to push
  6. bound — certain
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. ball — a dance
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. ball — a great time
  12. tube — a container
  13. press — newspapers
  14. band — a music group
  15. bass — the fish
  16. mug — to rob
  17. bound — obliged
  18. mug — a face
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. file — a document
  21. tube — the underground
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a tool
  24. mug — a cup

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