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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. press — a publisher
  3. press — to push
  4. land — a country
  5. firm — steady
  6. mate — a partner
  7. deal — to handle
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. firm — a company
  11. mate — a friend
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. mate — to breed
  14. press — newspapers
  15. chair — a leader
  16. land — to come down
  17. tube — a container
  18. land — ground
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. firm — decided
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. tube — the underground

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