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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. press — a publisher
  4. bound — obliged
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. club — a group
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bound — certain
  13. march — the month
  14. date — the fruit
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fall — to drop
  17. press — to push
  18. bass — the fish
  19. club — for dancing
  20. fall — the season
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. club — for golf
  24. press — newspapers

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