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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 116 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. last — to go on
  3. press — a publisher
  4. last — final
  5. cue — a hint
  6. press — newspapers
  7. key — the most important part
  8. last — finally
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. press — to push
  11. staff — employees
  12. track — a path
  13. staff — employees
  14. cue — for pool
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. bulb — for light
  17. staff — a stick
  18. bulb — for light
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. cue — a signal
  21. key — for a lock
  22. track — to keep track
  23. key — in music
  24. track — a song

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