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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  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. press — newspapers
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. press — to push
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tube — a container
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — a series
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. tube — the underground
  11. pop — soda
  12. foot — a measure
  13. band — a ring
  14. band — a music group
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. game — wild animals
  17. pop — to visit
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — to recline
  20. pop — music
  21. game — a match
  22. rash — hasty
  23. press — a publisher
  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