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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 116 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 refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. bound — certain
  3. degree — from a university
  4. stand — to bear
  5. drill — a practice
  6. degree — an amount
  7. wound — an injury
  8. degree — temperature
  9. bound — obliged
  10. press — to push
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. rest — what's left
  13. drill — the tool
  14. bound — tied together
  15. mug — to rob
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. rest — what's left
  18. press — a publisher
  19. mug — a face
  20. press — newspapers
  21. drill — army training
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rest — a break

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