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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  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 professorship
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. chair — a leader
  4. rest — a break
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bore — to tire
  7. spring — of water
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. spring — the season
  10. ball — a dance
  11. press — newspapers
  12. rest — what's left
  13. press — to push
  14. hand — help
  15. bore — to drill
  16. ball — a great time
  17. cap — a hat
  18. rest — what's left
  19. cap — a lid
  20. press — a publisher
  21. cap — of ice
  22. hand — in cards
  23. ball — a round shape
  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