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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bound — obliged
  3. face — part of the head
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. object — an aim
  6. bound — tied together
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bound — certain
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bulb — for light
  12. face — to point toward
  13. object — to protest
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. cold — not warm
  17. object — a thing
  18. face — to confront
  19. press — newspapers
  20. bulb — for light
  21. press — to push
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. pass — a permit

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