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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. last — to go on
  6. press — to push
  7. pound — a weight
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. bound — certain
  10. mine — for digging
  11. press — a publisher
  12. bound — obliged
  13. press — newspapers
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. bound — tied together
  16. last — finally
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. leaves — lets stay

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