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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. land — a country
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mark — a grade
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. lean — to bend
  10. kick — in football
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. land — ground
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. lean — thin
  15. land — to come down
  16. press — a publisher
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. chair — a leader
  20. press — to push
  21. press — newspapers
  22. snap — to click
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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