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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bat — the animal
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — child
  7. chair — a leader
  8. press — to push
  9. ground — the earth
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. firm — decided
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. wind — moving air
  14. firm — a company
  15. ground — crushed
  16. press — newspapers
  17. mate — a partner
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. firm — steady
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mate — to breed
  22. ground — a position
  23. press — a publisher
  24. mate — a friend

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