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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. press — newspapers
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. cue — a signal
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. degree — from a university
  7. wind — moving air
  8. land — a country
  9. press — to push
  10. land — ground
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bound — obliged
  13. snap — to click
  14. degree — temperature
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cue — a hint
  18. degree — an amount
  19. land — to come down
  20. bound — tied together
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. press — a publisher
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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