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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: press · rash · kick · stand · roll · date · band · sharp

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. roll — a cake
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. stand — to bear
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. press — to push
  11. rash — a series
  12. band — a ring
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. roll — a list
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — hasty
  18. kick — in football
  19. band — a music group
  20. press — newspapers
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — the fruit
  24. sharp — clever

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