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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bound — certain
  4. hand — help
  5. band — a music group
  6. swing — music
  7. swing — in golf
  8. bound — tied together
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. swing — to play on
  11. press — to push
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. hand — in cards
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bound — obliged
  16. staff — employees
  17. press — a publisher
  18. staff — a stick
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. press — newspapers
  21. staff — employees
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a ring

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