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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. press — a publisher
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — a stick
  6. staff — employees
  7. fall — to drop
  8. game — a match
  9. game — wild animals
  10. current — of water
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — certain
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. clip — to cut
  16. fall — the season
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — to push
  19. clip — a video
  20. current — electric
  21. current — happening now
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. clip — for paper
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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