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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. suit — clothes
  3. suit — in cards
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — newspapers
  9. wake — a trail
  10. march — music
  11. rash — a series
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — hasty
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. pound — a weight
  17. suit — to fit
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. march — the month
  20. press — to push
  21. date — the fruit
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. march — the month

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