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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. drill — army training
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. band — a music group
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. press — a publisher
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. press — newspapers
  18. drill — the tool
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — a series
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. band — a ring
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. drill — a practice

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