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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. suit — in cards
  3. bound — obliged
  4. chest — of your body
  5. press — to push
  6. chest — of your body
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bound — tied together
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. suit — to fit
  15. press — newspapers
  16. tear — to rip
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. mine — for digging
  19. press — a publisher
  20. chest — a box
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bound — certain
  24. suit — clothes

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