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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. press — newspapers
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. press — to push
  9. bound — certain
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bound — obliged
  14. game — a match
  15. toast — bread
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bound — tied together
  19. game — wild animals
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bulb — for light
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. deal — to handle
  24. bulb — of a plant

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