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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bulb — for light
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mate — to breed
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. press — newspapers
  15. mark — a grade
  16. press — to push
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. mark — a trace
  22. game — a match
  23. chair — a leader
  24. press — a publisher

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