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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a ring
  4. press — newspapers
  5. object — to protest
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. object — a thing
  8. press — a publisher
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. mark — a trace
  11. press — to push
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. swing — in golf
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. cold — not warm
  16. dip — to sink
  17. mark — a grade
  18. cold — an illness
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. swing — to play on
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. swing — music
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. object — an aim

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