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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.

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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. press — newspapers
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. ground — a position
  9. band — a music group
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — the earth
  14. chest — of your body
  15. press — to push
  16. wind — moving air
  17. chest — a box
  18. band — a ring
  19. wind — moving air
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. can — a tin
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. press — a publisher
  24. chest — of your body

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