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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. scale — size or range
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — newspapers
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. pound — a weight
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of a king
  12. mug — a face
  13. last — to go on
  14. mug — to rob
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. band — a music group
  17. court — of law
  18. scale — in music
  19. last — final
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. mug — a cup
  23. band — a ring
  24. press — to push

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