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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mine — for digging
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. dip — to sink
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. ground — a position
  9. press — newspapers
  10. press — to push
  11. ground — the earth
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. staff — employees
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. ground — crushed
  18. perch — the fish
  19. chair — a leader
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. press — a publisher
  22. staff — a stick
  23. rush — hurry
  24. chair — to sit on

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