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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. bound — tied together
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. game — wild animals
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. tube — the underground
  9. press — to push
  10. game — a match
  11. press — newspapers
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. wake — a trail
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. press — a publisher
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. tube — a container
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. straw — a straw man

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