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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — obliged
  5. wake — a trail
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. press — to push
  9. face — part of the head
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bound — certain
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. file — a tool
  16. face — to point toward
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. face — to confront
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. saw — the tool
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a line of people
  24. press — a publisher

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