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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. club — a group
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. press — to push
  5. mate — to breed
  6. lie — to recline
  7. rash — hasty
  8. band — a ring
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. band — a music group
  11. mate — a partner
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. club — for golf
  14. firm — steady
  15. press — a publisher
  16. mate — a friend
  17. club — for dancing
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. press — newspapers
  20. firm — a company
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. rash — a series
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. rash — on the skin

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