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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. ground — crushed
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. ground — the earth
  7. swing — in golf
  8. hand — help
  9. firm — steady
  10. ground — a position
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. firm — decided
  13. hand — in cards
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. press — a publisher
  16. chest — of your body
  17. firm — a company
  18. wax — to grow
  19. press — newspapers
  20. chest — of your body
  21. swing — music
  22. press — to push
  23. band — a ring
  24. swing — to play on

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