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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fine — all right
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. pop — music
  6. bound — obliged
  7. cell — a phone
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — certain
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — soda
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. cell — in biology
  16. rush — hurry
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. press — a publisher
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. press — to push
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. press — newspapers

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