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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. bound — obliged
  4. club — a group
  5. club — for golf
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. chest — of your body
  8. field — for sport
  9. club — for dancing
  10. lean — thin
  11. bound — certain
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. lean — to bend
  14. field — a subject
  15. chest — a box
  16. press — to push
  17. press — newspapers
  18. field — farmland
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bound — tied together
  24. chest — of your body

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