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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. file — a tool
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. race — a contest
  6. suit — in cards
  7. bark — to shout
  8. file — a document
  9. race — humankind
  10. press — to push
  11. suit — to fit
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. race — the arms race
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bear — the animal
  16. chair — a leader
  17. rest — what's left
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. bear — the animal
  20. press — a publisher
  21. press — newspapers
  22. rest — a break
  23. suit — clothes
  24. file — a line of people

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