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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  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. press — a publisher
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. bound — obliged
  4. drill — army training
  5. bound — certain
  6. prune — to trim
  7. press — newspapers
  8. bound — tied together
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. net — in sport
  11. club — a group
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. net — after costs
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. club — for golf
  17. press — to push
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. drill — the tool
  20. net — for catching
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. prune — to trim
  23. club — for dancing
  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