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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. fall — the season
  3. press — to push
  4. press — a publisher
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a dance
  7. fall — to drop
  8. band — a ring
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. kid — child
  13. cell — in biology
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bound — certain
  16. press — newspapers
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. cell — a phone
  19. bound — tied together
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bound — obliged
  22. band — a music group
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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