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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.

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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: cue · ground · degree · rash · march · band · press · lie

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. cue — for pool
  3. press — a publisher
  4. lie — to recline
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. ground — the earth
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. press — newspapers
  10. degree — an amount
  11. ground — a position
  12. ground — crushed
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. band — a ring
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — from a university
  17. march — the month
  18. band — a music group
  19. press — to push
  20. march — the month
  21. rash — a series
  22. cue — a hint
  23. rash — hasty
  24. cue — a signal

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