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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. clip — to cut
  6. rash — a series
  7. clip — a video
  8. press — to push
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. band — a ring
  11. press — a publisher
  12. club — for golf
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pass — a permit
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. club — for dancing
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. band — a music group
  20. press — newspapers
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. rash — hasty
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. clip — for paper

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