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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bound — obliged
  3. kid — child
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. suit — to fit
  7. row — to paddle
  8. chair — a leader
  9. kid — to tease
  10. club — for dancing
  11. press — newspapers
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. press — a publisher
  15. suit — in cards
  16. bound — tied together
  17. press — to push
  18. scale — in music
  19. club — for golf
  20. suit — clothes
  21. row — a line
  22. bound — certain
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. club — a group

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