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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  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. bound — certain
  2. spring — of water
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — soda
  5. press — to push
  6. season — of the year
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. bound — obliged
  10. fall — to drop
  11. season — in sport
  12. mug — a cup
  13. bound — tied together
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. mug — to rob
  16. press — a publisher
  17. fall — to drop
  18. mug — a face
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. spring — the season
  21. fall — the season
  22. spring — a coil
  23. pop — music
  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