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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: race · game · drill · bat · press · mug · band · plane

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. band — a music group
  3. press — newspapers
  4. game — wild animals
  5. mug — a face
  6. drill — the tool
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. press — a publisher
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. game — a match
  12. press — to push
  13. race — the arms race
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. race — a contest
  16. bat — the animal
  17. plane — a tool
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. drill — army training
  20. band — a ring
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. race — humankind
  23. drill — a practice
  24. mug — to rob

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