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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. press — to push
  3. press — a publisher
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. march — the month
  6. chair — a leader
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. staff — employees
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. kid — to tease
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. staff — employees
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. kid — child
  15. press — newspapers
  16. march — music
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. march — the month
  19. fork — in a road
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. cabinet — ministers

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