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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 has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. rest — a break
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bound — tied together
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. rest — what's left
  8. press — to push
  9. game — wild animals
  10. press — newspapers
  11. bound — certain
  12. press — a publisher
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. cold — an illness
  17. bore — to tire
  18. rest — what's left
  19. game — a match
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. bore — to drill
  24. game — a kind of play

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