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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bound — obliged
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. tear — to rip
  6. press — a publisher
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. press — newspapers
  10. game — a match
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bound — certain
  14. press — to push
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bound — tied together
  18. game — wild animals

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