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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.

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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bound — tied together
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — letters
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — size or range
  8. spell — a short time
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — obliged
  11. press — newspapers
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. press — to push
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. lash — a whip stroke

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