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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. root — of a word
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. root — of a plant
  10. press — a publisher
  11. root — the cause
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bass — low music
  15. sharp — clever
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bass — the fish
  18. press — to push
  19. bound — obliged
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. press — newspapers
  23. pound — a weight
  24. bound — certain

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