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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 120 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: cell · coach · last · foot · band · press · straw · ruler

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. band — a music group
  3. last — to go on
  4. press — newspapers
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. cell — in biology
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. last — finally
  14. foot — a measure
  15. band — a ring
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. press — a publisher
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. cell — a phone
  23. press — to push
  24. foot — part of the body

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