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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. ball — a great time
  3. scale — size or range
  4. ball — a dance
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — tied together
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. pass — a permit
  13. scale — in music
  14. march — music
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. press — newspapers
  21. bound — certain
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — to push
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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