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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — tied together
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — to rob
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. bass — the fish
  7. press — newspapers
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bound — certain
  11. press — a publisher
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — humankind
  15. mug — a face
  16. wake — a trail
  17. cold — an illness
  18. bass — low music
  19. cold — not warm
  20. prune — to trim
  21. race — a contest
  22. prune — to trim
  23. press — to push
  24. bass — the instrument

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