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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a dance
  3. band — a music group
  4. rush — hurry
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. press — to push
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. press — a publisher
  10. land — to come down
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. land — ground
  18. land — a country
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. press — newspapers
  21. band — a ring
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. hand — in cards

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