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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. capital — money
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. capital — a city
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. press — to push
  9. rest — what's left
  10. staff — employees
  11. rest — a break
  12. staff — employees
  13. rest — what's left
  14. swing — music
  15. press — newspapers
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. swing — to play on
  18. press — a publisher
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. kick — in football
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. swing — in golf
  23. staff — a stick
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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