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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mark — a trace
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. hand — help
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. fine — all right
  8. press — newspapers
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — to visit
  11. fine — high quality
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bound — tied together
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. mark — a grade
  16. hand — in cards
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. press — to push
  19. pop — music
  20. bound — certain
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bound — obliged
  23. press — a publisher
  24. mouse — the animal

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