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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. club — a group
  3. bound — certain
  4. press — to push
  5. press — newspapers
  6. bound — obliged
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bear — the animal
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. race — the arms race
  11. bound — tied together
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ball — a great time
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. club — for dancing
  16. row — to paddle
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bear — the animal
  19. race — a contest
  20. row — a line
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. club — for golf
  23. race — humankind
  24. row — a quarrel

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