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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a music group
  4. bound — tied together
  5. press — a publisher
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. race — humankind
  8. present — a gift
  9. plane — a tool
  10. bound — obliged
  11. press — newspapers
  12. face — to confront
  13. race — a contest
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. present — there
  17. face — part of the head
  18. race — the arms race
  19. present — the time now
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bound — certain
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. face — to point toward
  24. temple — a place of worship

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