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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. press — a publisher
  5. rule — a law
  6. club — for golf
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. club — for dancing
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. court — of law
  11. press — newspapers
  12. court — for sport
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. rule — government
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. band — a music group
  19. pit — in a race
  20. court — of a king
  21. pit — a hole
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. press — to push
  24. racket — a loud noise

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