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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. ground — a position
  4. band — a ring
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. wind — moving air
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. ground — the earth
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. present — the time now
  11. pit — in a race
  12. press — to push
  13. ground — crushed
  14. press — newspapers
  15. present — there
  16. wind — moving air
  17. present — a gift
  18. press — a publisher
  19. pit — a hole
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. band — a rubber band

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