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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 124 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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. drill — the tool
  3. bound — obliged
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. press — newspapers
  6. game — a match
  7. press — to push
  8. degree — an amount
  9. press — a publisher
  10. drill — army training
  11. degree — from a university
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bound — tied together
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. degree — temperature
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. drill — a practice
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. bound — certain
  24. game — wild animals

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