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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. bound — obliged
  5. current — electric
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. saw — the tool
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. hand — in cards
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — to push
  14. hand — help
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. current — of water
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. saw — the tool
  19. press — a publisher
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. current — happening now
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bound — certain

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