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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bound — obliged
  3. swing — to play on
  4. press — a publisher
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. fork — in a road
  9. press — to push
  10. saw — the tool
  11. scale — in music
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bound — certain
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. press — newspapers
  16. pitch — completely
  17. swing — in golf
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. game — wild animals
  20. saw — the tool
  21. swing — music
  22. scale — size or range
  23. game — a match
  24. scale — for weighing

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