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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bound — tied together
  4. press — a publisher
  5. clip — to cut
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. toast — bread
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. press — newspapers
  14. present — the time now
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. present — a gift
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bound — obliged
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. present — there
  22. bound — certain
  23. clip — a video
  24. pound — a weight

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