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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rest — what's left
  3. press — a publisher
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. drill — the tool
  9. bound — obliged
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rest — what's left
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. drill — army training
  16. press — newspapers
  17. rush — hurry
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — tied together
  20. march — the month
  21. press — to push
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. drill — a practice

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