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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. hand — help
  3. press — to push
  4. plane — a tool
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a music group
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. craft — boats
  9. scale — size or range
  10. press — newspapers
  11. hand — in cards
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. press — a publisher
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. scale — in music
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. bound — tied together
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bound — certain
  24. craft — a skill

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