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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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. jam — to spread on bread
  4. file — a tool
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. race — a contest
  7. race — the arms race
  8. file — a document
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bass — low music
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — certain
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bass — the fish
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. press — to push
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. race — humankind
  24. kick — in football

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