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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. press — to push
  3. field — for sport
  4. drill — the tool
  5. press — newspapers
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. roll — a cake
  8. drill — a practice
  9. kick — in football
  10. bound — tied together
  11. sharp — clever
  12. drill — army training
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. ball — a great time
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. field — farmland
  17. bound — certain
  18. field — a subject
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. press — a publisher
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. roll — a list
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ball — a dance

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