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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. press — to push
  3. bound — certain
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. bound — tied together
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. dip — to sink
  8. press — newspapers
  9. bound — obliged
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. drill — the tool
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. roll — a list
  19. rash — hasty
  20. drill — army training
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. roll — a cake
  23. rash — a series
  24. drill — a practice

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