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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for golf
  4. bound — certain
  5. rest — what's left
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bound — obliged
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. press — to push
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. date — the fruit
  15. bound — tied together
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. rest — what's left
  18. hand — in cards
  19. club — for dancing
  20. hand — help
  21. rest — a break
  22. press — newspapers
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. dip — to sink

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