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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 was locked up in a ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. bound — certain
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. last — to go on
  5. press — newspapers
  6. last — finally
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. net — for catching
  10. bore — to drill
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. cell — in biology
  13. bore — to tire
  14. last — final
  15. season — in sport
  16. net — after costs
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. season — of the year
  19. cell — a phone
  20. net — in sport
  21. bound — obliged
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. bound — tied together
  24. press — to push

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