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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. clip — a video
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — obliged
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. clip — to cut
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — hasty
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. cold — not warm
  16. lie — to recline
  17. prune — to trim
  18. press — newspapers
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. press — a publisher
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bound — certain
  23. clip — for paper
  24. cold — an illness

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