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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. last — finally
  3. degree — an amount
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bat — the animal
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — tied together
  9. press — a publisher
  10. last — final
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. degree — from a university
  13. suit — to fit
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. degree — temperature
  16. suit — clothes
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. suit — in cards
  19. press — newspapers
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bound — obliged
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. last — to go on

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