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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. press — a publisher
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. pitch — completely
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. file — a line of people
  11. press — to push
  12. file — a document
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a music group
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. press — newspapers
  19. cell — a phone
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. file — a tool
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. cell — in biology

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