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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. clip — for paper
  3. press — a publisher
  4. clip — to cut
  5. press — to push
  6. bat — the animal
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. degree — temperature
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. chip — to eat
  11. band — a music group
  12. chip — for betting
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. degree — an amount
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. clip — a video
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bat — in an idiom

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