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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. season — of the year
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. ball — a great time
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. squash — the sport
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. press — a publisher
  10. saw — the tool
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. press — to push
  13. saw — the tool
  14. ball — a dance
  15. press — newspapers
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. season — in sport
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. snap — to click

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