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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. press — to push
  3. press — newspapers
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. mug — to rob
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. press — a publisher
  9. staff — employees
  10. face — to confront
  11. roll — a cake
  12. mug — a face
  13. chair — a leader
  14. roll — a list
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to point toward
  17. staff — a stick
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. stem — to come from
  20. staff — employees
  21. tube — a container
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. tube — the underground

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