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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. firm — decided
  3. game — a match
  4. press — newspapers
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. press — a publisher
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. bound — tied together
  11. firm — steady
  12. rock — music
  13. rush — hurry
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. firm — a company
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cold — not warm
  18. press — to push
  19. game — wild animals
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. rock — a stone
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — obliged

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