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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. fine — high quality
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. cell — in biology
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. cell — a phone
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — to push
  10. plane — a tool
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. bound — certain
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. bound — obliged
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bound — tied together
  22. rush — hurry
  23. press — newspapers
  24. fine — all right

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