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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. press — newspapers
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. firm — decided
  5. press — to push
  6. suit — in cards
  7. bat — the animal
  8. firm — steady
  9. suit — to fit
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. press — a publisher
  14. bank — for money
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bank — for money
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. suit — clothes
  20. firm — a company
  21. chair — a leader
  22. bank — of a river
  23. trunk — of a car
  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