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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. press — newspapers
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. last — finally
  6. spell — magic
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bound — certain
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. press — to push
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bark — to shout
  13. last — to go on
  14. degree — an amount
  15. bound — obliged
  16. spell — a short time
  17. chest — of your body
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — from a university
  20. last — final
  21. bound — tied together
  22. chest — a box
  23. spell — letters
  24. chest — of your body

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