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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bound — obliged
  5. rest — a break
  6. press — a publisher
  7. row — a line
  8. game — wild animals
  9. row — to paddle
  10. rest — what's left
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. staff — employees
  13. game — a match
  14. press — newspapers
  15. bound — tied together
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a music group
  18. rest — what's left
  19. press — to push
  20. staff — employees
  21. bound — certain
  22. staff — a stick
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. game — a kind of play

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