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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bore — to tire
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bound — certain
  5. press — a publisher
  6. capital — a city
  7. press — newspapers
  8. bound — obliged
  9. fork — in a road
  10. cell — a phone
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. bound — tied together
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. fine — all right
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. scale — in music
  19. press — to push
  20. cell — in biology
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — money
  23. bore — to drill
  24. fine — high quality

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