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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. rest — a break
  3. bound — obliged
  4. rest — what's left
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. mate — to breed
  8. bound — certain
  9. bear — the animal
  10. press — newspapers
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. pitch — completely
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. bound — tied together
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — a friend
  22. press — to push
  23. fall — the season
  24. rest — what's left

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