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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. tear — to rip
  3. rash — hasty
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. bound — certain
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a tool
  8. press — to push
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bound — obliged
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. press — newspapers
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. file — a document
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. lie — to recline
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — a series
  23. bound — tied together
  24. lie — an untruth

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