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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 116 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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. bound — certain
  3. key — for a lock
  4. pop — to visit
  5. press — newspapers
  6. pop — music
  7. press — a publisher
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cell — a phone
  10. bound — obliged
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — to come from
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bound — tied together
  15. key — in music
  16. cold — an illness
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. key — the most important part
  19. pop — soda
  20. press — to push
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cell — in biology
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. game — a match

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