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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bound — tied together
  3. ground — a position
  4. band — a ring
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. ground — the earth
  7. bound — certain
  8. track — a path
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. key — in music
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — newspapers
  13. track — a song
  14. key — for a lock
  15. ground — crushed
  16. season — in sport
  17. press — to push
  18. band — a music group
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. track — to keep track
  21. key — the most important part
  22. season — of the year
  23. bound — obliged
  24. hide — to keep secret

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