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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. press — newspapers
  3. ground — the earth
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. band — a music group
  6. cold — not warm
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. press — a publisher
  9. band — a ring
  10. stand — to bear
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bound — certain
  13. press — to push
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — a grade
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — crushed
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. bound — obliged
  20. chest — of your body
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. chest — of your body
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. chest — a box

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