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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 124 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. press — a publisher
  4. bound — tied together
  5. press — newspapers
  6. hand — help
  7. spring — a coil
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. board — to get on
  11. spring — of water
  12. lean — to bend
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. lean — thin
  18. board — a committee
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — obliged
  22. press — to push
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. spring — the season

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