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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. track — to keep track
  3. key — for a lock
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — for money
  8. key — the most important part
  9. track — a song
  10. press — newspapers
  11. lean — to bend
  12. mine — for digging
  13. press — a publisher
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. press — to push
  16. lean — thin
  17. track — a path
  18. bank — of a river
  19. key — in music
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. chair — a leader
  23. dip — to sink
  24. dip — to dunk

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