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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. field — for sport
  4. press — a publisher
  5. land — ground
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bank — of a river
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. mate — a friend
  10. press — to push
  11. field — a subject
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — for money
  14. land — a country
  15. land — to come down
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. press — newspapers
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. field — farmland
  23. mate — to breed
  24. chair — to sit on

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