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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. press — to push
  3. rule — government
  4. rush — hurry
  5. press — newspapers
  6. bound — obliged
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. mate — to breed
  9. march — music
  10. plane — a tool
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mate — a friend
  15. march — the month
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. rule — a law
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — certain
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. march — the month

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