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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. wake — a trail
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. press — to push
  5. band — a music group
  6. row — a line
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. stock — shares
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. press — a publisher
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. band — a ring
  16. press — newspapers
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. row — to paddle
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stock — goods
  22. board — to get on
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. board — a committee

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