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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. spring — the season
  3. rock — a stone
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. rock — music
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. press — a publisher
  11. land — to come down
  12. chair — a leader
  13. row — a line
  14. spring — a coil
  15. land — ground
  16. row — to paddle
  17. kick — in football
  18. spring — of water
  19. prune — to trim
  20. press — to push
  21. land — a country
  22. press — newspapers
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. prune — to trim

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