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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  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. squash — the sport
  2. band — a music group
  3. wound — an injury
  4. squash — to crush
  5. fine — high quality
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. mark — a grade
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. mark — a trace
  14. press — to push
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — all right
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. press — a publisher
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. press — newspapers
  22. band — a ring
  23. wound — an injury
  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