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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — certain
  6. object — to protest
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. press — a publisher
  9. fine — high quality
  10. chip — to eat
  11. object — an aim
  12. press — newspapers
  13. swing — to play on
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. fine — all right
  19. chip — for betting
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. object — a thing
  22. dip — to sink
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — music

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