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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. band — a music group
  4. pop — music
  5. shower — to wash
  6. race — a contest
  7. row — a line
  8. press — to push
  9. mate — to breed
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. row — to paddle
  14. race — the arms race
  15. press — a publisher
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. band — a ring
  18. mate — a friend
  19. pop — soda
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. pop — to visit
  22. race — humankind
  23. shower — rain
  24. mate — a partner

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