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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: rest · ruler · object · press · chip · band · pound · hand

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. press — to push
  3. chip — for betting
  4. band — a ring
  5. object — to protest
  6. band — a music group
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. rest — what's left
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. hand — help
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. rest — what's left
  15. object — a thing
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chip — to eat
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. press — newspapers
  21. rest — a break
  22. press — a publisher
  23. pound — a weight
  24. band — a rubber band

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