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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. hand — in cards
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. prune — to trim
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. pop — music
  8. press — a publisher
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. chair — a leader
  11. prune — to trim
  12. ground — a position
  13. hand — help
  14. pop — to visit
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. press — to push
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. press — newspapers
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. ground — the earth
  23. snap — to click
  24. pop — soda

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