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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 120 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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  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. wake — a trail
  2. chair — a leader
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. press — newspapers
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. tube — a container
  8. pass — a permit
  9. can — a tin
  10. kid — to tease
  11. can — a tin
  12. press — a publisher
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. wind — moving air
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. wind — moving air
  17. press — to push
  18. can — to be able to
  19. tube — the underground
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. kid — child
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  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