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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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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: mate · suit · chest · press · saw · wake · band · racket

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  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. suit — clothes
  2. mate — a partner
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. suit — to fit
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wake — a trail
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. mate — a friend
  9. press — to push
  10. suit — in cards
  11. saw — the tool
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. chest — of your body
  15. mate — to breed
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. press — newspapers
  18. saw — the tool
  19. band — a ring
  20. band — a music group
  21. chest — of your body
  22. press — a publisher
  23. chest — a box
  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