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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. bound — tied together
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. press — newspapers
  5. bound — obliged
  6. press — a publisher
  7. bound — certain
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. dip — to sink
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. degree — from a university
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. degree — temperature
  16. hand — in cards
  17. wound — an injury
  18. saw — the tool
  19. press — to push
  20. wound — an injury
  21. hand — help
  22. degree — an amount
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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