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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. shower — rain
  3. stand — to bear
  4. bound — tied together
  5. file — a document
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. press — to push
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. file — a tool
  10. rest — a break
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bound — certain
  13. press — newspapers
  14. file — a line of people
  15. rest — what's left
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bat — the animal
  19. cell — a phone
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. shower — to wash
  23. press — a publisher
  24. cell — in biology

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