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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. degree — from a university
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. press — to push
  7. root — of a word
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. spell — letters
  10. degree — an amount
  11. wake — a trail
  12. bound — tied together
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. press — a publisher
  15. press — newspapers
  16. lie — to recline
  17. bound — obliged
  18. root — of a plant
  19. root — the cause
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — magic
  22. chair — a leader
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. degree — temperature

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