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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. ground — crushed
  3. land — to come down
  4. band — a ring
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. land — ground
  7. object — a thing
  8. object — to protest
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. band — a music group
  11. ground — the earth
  12. land — a country
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. press — a publisher
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. ground — a position
  21. object — an aim
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. press — to push
  24. coach — a trainer

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