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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: row · press · firm · mate · band · hand · racket · fine

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. mate — a friend
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. hand — in cards
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. press — a publisher
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. band — a ring
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. firm — a company
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. band — a music group
  14. firm — steady
  15. fine — high quality
  16. firm — decided
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — to push
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a partner
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. fine — all right
  23. row — a line
  24. row — to paddle

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