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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. club — for dancing
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a partner
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. shower — to wash
  11. firm — a company
  12. club — a group
  13. shower — rain
  14. firm — steady
  15. rush — hurry
  16. mate — a friend
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — newspapers
  19. press — to push
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. club — for golf
  24. band — a music group

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