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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. band — a ring
  3. stock — shares
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. mug — a face
  7. date — the fruit
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. press — a publisher
  11. press — to push
  12. ball — a dance
  13. stock — goods
  14. mug — a cup
  15. toast — bread
  16. band — a music group
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. ball — a great time
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. press — newspapers
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. plane — a tool

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