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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 120 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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. band — a ring
  5. wound — an injury
  6. press — a publisher
  7. mug — a cup
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. game — wild animals
  10. swing — in golf
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. press — to push
  15. swing — to play on
  16. mug — to rob
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. press — newspapers
  19. band — a music group
  20. game — a match
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. mug — a face
  23. swing — music
  24. wound — an injury

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