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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 120 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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. row — a line
  3. drill — the tool
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. press — a publisher
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. spell — letters
  10. fine — all right
  11. mug — a cup
  12. drill — army training
  13. mug — a face
  14. fine — high quality
  15. spell — a short time
  16. press — to push
  17. spell — magic
  18. row — to paddle
  19. drill — a practice
  20. press — newspapers
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. band — a ring
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. mug — to rob

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