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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. can — to be able to
  4. press — newspapers
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. file — a document
  8. bat — the animal
  9. can — a tin
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. press — to push
  13. press — a publisher
  14. file — a tool
  15. cell — in biology
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. chip — to eat
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bound — certain
  20. file — a line of people
  21. can — a tin
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. chip — for betting
  24. cell — a phone

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