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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bound — obliged
  3. saw — the tool
  4. press — to push
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. content — happy
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. pop — music
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — the amount
  13. bound — tied together
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bound — certain
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. press — newspapers
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. pop — to visit
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. press — a publisher
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mine — for digging
  24. pop — soda

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