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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. march — music
  3. band — a ring
  4. chair — a leader
  5. march — the month
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chip — to eat
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. march — the month
  11. dip — to sink
  12. press — newspapers
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. press — to push
  15. press — a publisher
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. fork — in a road
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. chip — for betting
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. band — a music group
  24. dip — to dunk

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