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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 116 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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. press — newspapers
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. wake — a trail
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. bound — obliged
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pit — a hole
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. rock — music
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bound — certain
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wound — an injury
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. lean — to bend
  19. press — to push
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. pit — in a race
  22. lean — thin
  23. press — a publisher
  24. rock — a stone

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