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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. board — to get on
  3. board — a committee
  4. press — newspapers
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. clip — to cut
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. press — a publisher
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. band — a ring
  12. clip — a video
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — to tire
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. squash — the sport
  18. clip — for paper
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. press — to push
  23. date — the fruit
  24. jam — in traffic

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