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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bound — certain
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bound — tied together
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. press — to push
  11. rush — hurry
  12. press — newspapers
  13. fall — to drop
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. press — a publisher
  16. toast — bread
  17. rash — hasty
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bound — obliged
  23. rash — a series
  24. lie — an untruth

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