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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 120 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. press — to push
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. press — newspapers
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. key — for a lock
  8. rest — a break
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — tied together
  13. present — the time now
  14. pop — soda
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bound — certain
  17. press — a publisher
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. key — in music
  20. present — there
  21. present — a gift
  22. key — the most important part
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. pop — music

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