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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. deal — to handle
  3. pop — music
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. game — wild animals
  6. press — to push
  7. tear — to rip
  8. press — newspapers
  9. roll — a cake
  10. bound — obliged
  11. pop — soda
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bound — certain
  14. tube — a container
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. roll — a list
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. pop — to visit
  19. game — a match
  20. tear — from crying
  21. press — a publisher
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. game — a kind of play

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