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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — a publisher
  3. bound — obliged
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. cue — a hint
  8. court — of a king
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a ring
  11. bound — tied together
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — a video
  15. vault — a safe
  16. press — newspapers
  17. court — of law
  18. cue — a signal
  19. bound — certain
  20. court — for sport
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. cue — for pool
  24. clip — to cut

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