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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. last — to go on
  4. season — of the year
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — obliged
  7. game — wild animals
  8. rock — music
  9. bound — tied together
  10. last — final
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. pitch — completely
  14. last — finally
  15. press — newspapers
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. game — a match
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. season — in sport
  23. press — to push
  24. rock — a stone

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