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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 116 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've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. kid — child
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. press — newspapers
  5. press — to push
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. rule — a law
  9. land — to come down
  10. rule — government
  11. squash — the sport
  12. land — a country
  13. press — a publisher
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. kid — to tease
  20. land — ground
  21. march — the month
  22. squash — to crush
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. chair — a leader

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