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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. press — a publisher
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. press — to push
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. snap — to click
  7. bound — tied together
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. clip — a video
  10. mug — a face
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. kick — in football
  14. lean — thin
  15. lean — to bend
  16. mug — a cup
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. clip — to cut
  19. bound — certain
  20. press — newspapers
  21. clip — for paper
  22. mug — to rob
  23. vault — a safe
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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