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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 120 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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  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. row — a line
  2. press — a publisher
  3. rule — a law
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bound — obliged
  6. suit — clothes
  7. press — to push
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. file — a document
  11. suit — to fit
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. file — a tool
  16. row — to paddle
  17. file — a line of people
  18. suit — in cards
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. press — newspapers
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. rule — government
  23. bound — certain
  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