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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 116 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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. object — an aim
  4. bound — tied together
  5. march — the month
  6. object — to protest
  7. bound — certain
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. hand — help
  10. march — music
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. press — newspapers
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bound — obliged
  16. press — to push
  17. march — the month
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — a leader
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — a contest
  22. hand — in cards
  23. press — a publisher
  24. race — humankind

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