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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. press — a publisher
  4. row — to paddle
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bat — the animal
  8. press — to push
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bound — certain
  11. roll — a cake
  12. press — newspapers
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. roll — a list
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. bound — obliged
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. bound — tied together
  24. ruler — for measuring

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