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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. press — a publisher
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. drill — army training
  5. band — a ring
  6. season — of the year
  7. drill — a practice
  8. scale — size or range
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. press — to push
  11. scale — in music
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. drill — the tool
  14. mine — for digging
  15. press — newspapers
  16. band — a music group
  17. season — in sport
  18. rash — hasty
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. tube — the underground
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. tube — a container
  24. band — a rubber band

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