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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. press — to push
  3. net — for catching
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. tube — a container
  6. key — the most important part
  7. tube — the underground
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. cell — a phone
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — obliged
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. key — in music
  15. wound — an injury
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — in sport
  18. wound — an injury
  19. press — newspapers
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. bound — tied together
  24. key — for a lock

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