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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 120 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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. fall — to drop
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. ground — a position
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. press — newspapers
  9. chair — a leader
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. ground — the earth
  12. press — to push
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. press — a publisher
  15. fall — the season
  16. capital — money
  17. craft — a skill
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. plane — a tool
  20. craft — boats
  21. capital — a city
  22. fall — to drop
  23. ground — crushed
  24. craft — a handicraft

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