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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — certain
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. press — a publisher
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. staff — employees
  10. bear — the animal
  11. press — to push
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bound — tied together
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. press — newspapers
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. staff — employees
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. bear — the animal
  22. shower — to wash
  23. shower — rain
  24. staff — a stick

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