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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 116 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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. press — a publisher
  4. game — a match
  5. ground — crushed
  6. wound — an injury
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — to push
  9. ground — the earth
  10. swing — music
  11. ground — a position
  12. band — a ring
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. band — a music group
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. swing — to play on
  18. swing — in golf
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rush — hurry
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. game — wild animals
  24. wound — an injury

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