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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. chair — a leader
  3. stem — to come from
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. press — a publisher
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. staff — a stick
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. staff — employees
  11. wind — moving air
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. firm — steady
  14. press — to push
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. staff — employees
  17. firm — decided
  18. wind — moving air
  19. press — newspapers
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. firm — a company
  24. arm — part of the body

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