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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. face — part of the head
  3. band — a music group
  4. staff — a stick
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — in cards
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. face — to confront
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. press — a publisher
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. tube — a container
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. band — a ring
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. press — newspapers
  20. staff — employees
  21. face — to point toward
  22. kick — in football
  23. press — to push
  24. hand — help

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