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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. board — a committee
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. press — a publisher
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. press — to push
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — money
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. dip — to sink
  17. band — a music group
  18. board — to get on
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bat — the animal
  21. band — a ring
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. press — newspapers

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