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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 116 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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. tube — the underground
  3. pound — a weight
  4. press — a publisher
  5. land — to come down
  6. rule — a law
  7. press — newspapers
  8. land — ground
  9. track — a song
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. spell — letters
  13. tube — a container
  14. track — a path
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — a short time
  17. band — a ring
  18. land — a country
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. press — to push
  23. track — to keep track
  24. rule — government

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