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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. sharp — clever
  3. court — of law
  4. suit — in cards
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. chest — of your body
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. chest — a box
  9. press — a publisher
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. band — a ring
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. press — to push
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. band — a music group
  17. suit — to fit
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. court — for sport
  20. deal — to handle
  21. press — newspapers
  22. court — of a king
  23. chest — of your body
  24. suit — clothes

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