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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  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. land — to come down
  2. band — a music group
  3. can — a tin
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. pop — to visit
  7. land — ground
  8. can — to be able to
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. band — a ring
  11. press — newspapers
  12. pop — soda
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. land — a country
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. pop — music
  18. press — to push
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. season — of the year
  21. can — a tin
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. season — in sport
  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