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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. band — a ring
  3. rest — what's left
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. dip — to sink
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — to push
  10. file — a document
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. band — a music group
  13. spring — of water
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. file — a line of people
  16. rest — a break
  17. rest — what's left
  18. press — newspapers
  19. file — a tool
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — a coil
  24. wave — of the sea

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