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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. fine — all right
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. last — final
  6. suit — clothes
  7. chair — a leader
  8. root — of a plant
  9. last — to go on
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. press — newspapers
  12. saw — the tool
  13. suit — to fit
  14. root — of a word
  15. suit — in cards
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. saw — the tool
  18. root — the cause
  19. fine — high quality
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. last — finally
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. press — to push
  24. fine — a penalty

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