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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. press — to push
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. cell — in biology
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. cell — a phone
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. press — newspapers
  10. clip — to cut
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — a city
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. capital — money
  17. band — a music group
  18. clip — a video
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. band — a ring
  21. snap — to click
  22. foot — a measure
  23. lie — to recline
  24. press — a publisher

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