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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: press · capital · band · mouse · ball · march · roll · firm

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. firm — a company
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ball — a dance
  6. band — a ring
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. roll — a list
  9. press — newspapers
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. firm — decided
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. firm — steady
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — a city
  20. band — a music group
  21. press — a publisher
  22. press — to push
  23. march — the month
  24. roll — a cake

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