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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: ball · band · key · fine · rule · march · straw · press

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. key — in music
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. press — a publisher
  7. fine — high quality
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. march — the month
  11. key — the most important part
  12. rule — government
  13. band — a music group
  14. fine — all right
  15. rule — a law
  16. march — the month
  17. key — for a lock
  18. march — music
  19. ball — a great time
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. band — a ring
  22. press — newspapers
  23. ball — a dance
  24. rule — to rule out

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