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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 116 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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — from a university
  4. march — the month
  5. press — to push
  6. firm — steady
  7. firm — decided
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. press — newspapers
  10. degree — an amount
  11. march — music
  12. firm — a company
  13. lie — to recline
  14. season — in sport
  15. court — of law
  16. season — of the year
  17. court — for sport
  18. march — the month
  19. band — a ring
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. court — of a king
  22. press — a publisher
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. band — a music group

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