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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. suit — clothes
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bat — the animal
  5. pass — a permit
  6. suit — to fit
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — all right
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bound — certain
  12. press — to push
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. suit — in cards
  16. press — newspapers
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. press — a publisher
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bound — tied together
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. chest — a box

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