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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. press — to push
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — a trail
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. bear — the animal
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. press — a publisher
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. date — the fruit
  17. plane — a tool
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. capital — a city
  20. press — newspapers
  21. chair — a leader
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. capital — money
  24. bear — the animal

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