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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. press — newspapers
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. row — a line
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. game — a match
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bound — certain
  10. game — wild animals
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. press — to push
  13. row — to paddle
  14. snap — to click
  15. wax — to grow
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — tied together
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. mate — to breed
  22. press — a publisher
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mate — a partner

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