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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 120 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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bound — tied together
  5. chip — to eat
  6. bound — obliged
  7. field — for sport
  8. press — to push
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. field — a subject
  11. bound — certain
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. kid — child
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. chip — for betting
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. press — newspapers
  21. pass — a permit
  22. kid — to tease
  23. mine — for digging
  24. field — farmland

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