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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. tube — the underground
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. press — to push
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. bat — the animal
  9. present — there
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. present — the time now
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. tube — a container
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. press — newspapers
  18. band — a ring
  19. band — a music group
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. present — a gift
  23. bat — in an idiom
  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