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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. chest — of your body
  3. net — for catching
  4. chest — a box
  5. chip — to eat
  6. net — in sport
  7. staff — employees
  8. spell — magic
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. staff — a stick
  11. spell — letters
  12. chip — for betting
  13. band — a ring
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. press — to push
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. spell — a short time
  18. band — a music group
  19. foot — a measure
  20. chest — of your body
  21. press — newspapers
  22. net — after costs
  23. staff — employees
  24. press — a publisher

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