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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. snap — to click
  5. craft — boats
  6. drill — a practice
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. rock — music
  9. craft — a skill
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. court — of law
  12. drill — the tool
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. press — to push
  15. court — for sport
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — a publisher
  18. drill — army training
  19. bound — tied together
  20. rock — a stone
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. hand — in cards
  23. court — of a king
  24. bound — certain

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