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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. band — a music group
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fine — all right
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. season — in sport
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. band — a ring
  9. chair — a leader
  10. wax — to grow
  11. season — of the year
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. press — newspapers
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. press — to push
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. fine — high quality
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. press — a publisher

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