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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. rash — hasty
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. kick — in football
  6. band — a ring
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. band — a music group
  9. club — for golf
  10. press — a publisher
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. press — to push
  13. ball — a dance
  14. club — a group
  15. bound — certain
  16. club — for dancing
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. wake — a trail
  19. bound — obliged
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. rash — a series
  22. bound — tied together
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. ball — a great time

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