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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 116 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — a leader
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — to push
  5. rule — a law
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — in music
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. press — newspapers
  11. rule — government
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. key — for a lock
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. fork — in a road
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. sharp — clever
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. mouse — the animal

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