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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. court — for sport
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a leader
  7. mug — to rob
  8. cap — a hat
  9. plane — a tool
  10. suit — clothes
  11. cap — of ice
  12. court — of law
  13. press — to push
  14. mug — a face
  15. press — a publisher
  16. press — newspapers
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. cap — a lid
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. suit — to fit
  22. court — of a king
  23. suit — in cards
  24. mug — a cup

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