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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. band — a ring
  4. cap — a lid
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. court — of law
  8. cold — not warm
  9. object — an aim
  10. cold — an illness
  11. court — for sport
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. press — newspapers
  14. press — to push
  15. court — of a king
  16. charge — electricity
  17. object — a thing
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. object — to protest
  20. band — a music group
  21. charge — a price
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — of ice
  24. charge — in control

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