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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. land — ground
  3. snap — to click
  4. rock — a stone
  5. bound — obliged
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. rock — music
  8. fall — the season
  9. bound — certain
  10. fall — to drop
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. bound — tied together
  14. press — a publisher
  15. press — newspapers
  16. land — to come down
  17. kid — to tease
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. kid — child
  21. land — a country
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. fall — to drop
  24. press — to push

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