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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. press — to push
  3. chair — a leader
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. capital — a city
  9. vault — a safe
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. press — a publisher
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. capital — money
  16. press — newspapers
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. prune — to trim
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. prune — to trim
  24. capital — a big letter

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