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

Word bank: pound · club · safe · ground · drill · band · press · key

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. press — to push
  3. key — in music
  4. band — a ring
  5. drill — army training
  6. band — a music group
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. key — the most important part
  9. club — for golf
  10. press — a publisher
  11. club — a group
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. ground — a position
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. pound — a weight
  16. club — for dancing
  17. press — newspapers
  18. ground — the earth
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. drill — the tool
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. key — for a lock
  23. ground — crushed
  24. pound — to hit hard

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