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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bat — the animal
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. press — a publisher
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. track — to keep track
  9. press — newspapers
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. plane — a tool
  12. track — a path
  13. track — a song
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. stock — goods
  17. bound — certain
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. stock — shares
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bound — tied together
  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