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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. drill — a practice
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. kick — in football
  8. chair — a leader
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. date — the fruit
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. press — newspapers
  14. press — to push
  15. cap — a hat
  16. drill — the tool
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. press — a publisher
  22. cap — a lid
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. drill — army training

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