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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. press — a publisher
  3. key — the most important part
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. press — newspapers
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. court — for sport
  11. bark — to shout
  12. press — to push
  13. band — a ring
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. snap — to click
  16. chair — a leader
  17. court — of law
  18. court — of a king
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. key — in music
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. key — for a lock
  24. band — a rubber band

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