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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. track — a song
  4. press — newspapers
  5. stand — to bear
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. chest — of your body
  9. tear — to rip
  10. press — a publisher
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. track — to keep track
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bound — tied together
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — money
  17. bound — certain
  18. chest — of your body
  19. press — to push
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. tear — from crying
  22. chest — a box
  23. track — a path
  24. capital — a city

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