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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 116 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: court · press · deal · lie · band · last · mine · ruler

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. press — to push
  3. press — newspapers
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. press — a publisher
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. court — of law
  8. lie — to recline
  9. last — finally
  10. band — a ring
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. mine — for digging
  17. band — a music group
  18. court — of a king
  19. deal — to handle
  20. court — for sport
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. last — to go on
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. lie — an untruth

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