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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 124 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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. roll — a list
  3. can — a tin
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. shower — rain
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. can — to be able to
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. press — newspapers
  11. band — a music group
  12. can — a tin
  13. band — a ring
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. roll — a cake
  16. capital — money
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. shower — to wash
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. capital — a city
  23. press — a publisher
  24. press — to push

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