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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. press — a publisher
  3. chair — a leader
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. press — to push
  10. press — newspapers
  11. chest — of your body
  12. plane — a tool
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. stand — to bear
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. toast — bread
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. bat — the animal
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — dry grass

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