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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. pitch — completely
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. roll — a list
  9. press — newspapers
  10. track — to keep track
  11. band — a ring
  12. press — to push
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. wind — moving air
  17. roll — a cake
  18. band — a music group
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. track — a path
  21. press — a publisher
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. track — a song
  24. wind — moving air

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