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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 116 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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. firm — a company
  5. net — for catching
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. net — after costs
  8. bound — certain
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. press — newspapers
  11. pit — a hole
  12. press — to push
  13. press — a publisher
  14. firm — decided
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. net — in sport
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pit — in a race
  20. game — a match
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bound — obliged
  24. firm — steady

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