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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. board — a committee
  3. present — the time now
  4. sharp — clever
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. press — to push
  8. bound — tied together
  9. press — a publisher
  10. cell — in biology
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. deal — to handle
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. press — newspapers
  16. board — to get on
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. bound — certain
  21. present — there
  22. perch — the fish
  23. cell — a phone
  24. present — a gift

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