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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. drill — army training
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. staff — a stick
  6. band — a ring
  7. content — the amount
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. press — to push
  14. content — happy
  15. drill — the tool
  16. staff — employees
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. press — newspapers
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. band — a music group
  22. pass — a permit
  23. press — a publisher
  24. drill — a practice

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