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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: racket · press · band · march · lie · chair · firm · saw

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. press — newspapers
  5. band — a music group
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. firm — a company
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. chair — a leader
  11. firm — decided
  12. press — to push
  13. march — the month
  14. firm — steady
  15. band — a ring
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. press — a publisher
  19. lie — to recline
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. saw — the tool
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. saw — the tool

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