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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 120 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. press — newspapers
  4. firm — steady
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pop — to visit
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bound — certain
  9. firm — decided
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. spell — magic
  13. pop — soda
  14. firm — a company
  15. spell — a short time
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. press — to push
  18. fall — the season
  19. spell — letters
  20. bound — tied together
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bound — obliged
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. pop — music

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