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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bound — obliged
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bound — certain
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. rest — a break
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. bound — tied together
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. game — a match
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cell — in biology
  16. press — newspapers
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. press — to push
  19. cell — a phone
  20. stand — to bear
  21. rest — what's left
  22. press — a publisher
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. game — a kind of play

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