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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: bay · cap · temple · pound · deal · press · band · pitch

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  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. deal — to handle
  2. cap — of ice
  3. band — a music group
  4. press — to push
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. band — a ring
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pound — a weight
  14. cap — a hat
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. press — newspapers
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. press — a publisher
  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