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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. press — to push
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bound — certain
  5. press — newspapers
  6. present — there
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. scale — size or range
  9. saw — the tool
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. bound — tied together
  12. present — the time now
  13. scale — in music
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. tear — from crying
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. tear — to rip
  22. chair — a leader
  23. present — a gift
  24. chair — to sit on

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