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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. rule — government
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. press — newspapers
  5. season — of the year
  6. clip — to cut
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. shower — to wash
  9. clip — for paper
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. clip — a video
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. press — a publisher
  15. band — a music group
  16. rule — a law
  17. season — in sport
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. press — to push
  24. shower — rain

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