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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mate — a partner
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — certain
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. mate — to breed
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. press — to push
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a great time
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. fine — all right
  19. fine — high quality
  20. press — a publisher
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. press — newspapers
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bound — tied together

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