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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. spell — letters
  3. club — for golf
  4. hand — help
  5. press — to push
  6. can — to be able to
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. track — a path
  12. chair — a leader
  13. club — a group
  14. press — newspapers
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. track — to keep track
  17. can — a tin
  18. toast — bread
  19. track — a song
  20. spell — a short time
  21. can — a tin
  22. spell — magic
  23. hand — in cards
  24. press — a publisher

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