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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. fine — high quality
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — tied together
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. chair — a leader
  10. press — newspapers
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. sharp — clever
  15. cold — an illness
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. press — a publisher
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. fine — all right
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. press — to push

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