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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: content · pitch · snap · band · pop · tear · press · club

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. content — happy
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pop — music
  7. press — to push
  8. club — for golf
  9. band — a music group
  10. club — for dancing
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. band — a ring
  13. club — a group
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. tear — to rip
  16. pop — soda
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. tear — from crying
  19. pitch — completely
  20. press — a publisher
  21. snap — to click
  22. content — the amount
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pitch — a sports field

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