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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bound — certain
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. press — to push
  7. clip — a video
  8. stock — goods
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bound — tied together
  11. press — a publisher
  12. club — a group
  13. club — for dancing
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. club — for golf
  19. vault — a safe
  20. bound — obliged
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. stock — shares
  24. stock — a soup base

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