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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. press — to push
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. degree — temperature
  6. ball — a dance
  7. press — newspapers
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bound — certain
  12. chair — a leader
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. dip — to sink
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — from a university
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. ball — a great time
  24. bound — tied together

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