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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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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: press · can · bound · chest · band · march · chip · pass

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  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. chest — a box
  2. chip — to eat
  3. pass — a permit
  4. bound — certain
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. chip — for betting
  8. march — the month
  9. can — a tin
  10. press — to push
  11. band — a ring
  12. can — to be able to
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. press — newspapers
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. bound — obliged
  17. chest — of your body
  18. can — a tin
  19. chest — of your body
  20. march — music
  21. bound — tied together
  22. march — the month
  23. pass — to succeed
  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