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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bat · band · capital · press · mouse · rush · board · perch

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. band — a ring
  3. board — a committee
  4. bat — the animal
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. press — newspapers
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. capital — a city
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. board — to get on
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. band — a music group
  19. perch — the fish
  20. press — a publisher
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. capital — money
  24. press — to push

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