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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — a gift
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. club — for dancing
  7. chair — a leader
  8. pass — a permit
  9. present — there
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. press — a publisher
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — a group
  14. face — part of the head
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. face — to point toward
  17. press — to push
  18. face — to confront

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