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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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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: cabinet · band · pound · press · rash · game · hide · ball

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. game — wild animals
  3. press — a publisher
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. ball — a dance
  8. press — to push
  9. pound — a weight
  10. ball — a great time
  11. band — a music group
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. game — a match
  16. press — newspapers
  17. band — a ring
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. rash — hasty
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. rash — a series

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