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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. key — in music
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. rest — what's left
  5. content — the amount
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. press — newspapers
  10. bound — certain
  11. content — happy
  12. rest — a break
  13. bound — obliged
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. key — for a lock
  16. rest — what's left
  17. press — to push
  18. shower — rain
  19. key — the most important part
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. shower — to wash
  22. bound — tied together
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. mine — for digging

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