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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: fine · hand · game · hide · toast · press · wind · band

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wind — moving air
  3. press — a publisher
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. game — a match
  8. band — a music group
  9. fine — high quality
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. wind — moving air
  14. press — newspapers
  15. hand — in cards
  16. game — wild animals
  17. hand — help
  18. fine — all right
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. press — to push
  21. toast — bread
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. band — a ring
  24. hand — part of the body

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