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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. drill — army training
  3. band — a ring
  4. press — newspapers
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. drill — a practice
  7. press — to push
  8. chip — to eat
  9. drill — the tool
  10. chip — for betting
  11. band — a music group
  12. ground — crushed
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. rest — what's left
  16. content — happy
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. content — the amount
  19. rest — a break
  20. press — a publisher
  21. rest — what's left
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — the earth

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