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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. press — newspapers
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. capital — money
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. press — a publisher
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. firm — steady
  14. press — to push
  15. lie — to recline
  16. saw — the tool
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. capital — a city
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. season — of the year
  23. firm — decided
  24. saw — the tool

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