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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. sharp — clever
  3. press — to push
  4. rest — a break
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. present — there
  7. rule — a law
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. press — a publisher
  10. present — a gift
  11. rule — government
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — to breed
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. present — the time now
  21. press — newspapers
  22. rest — what's left
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. fan — to cool the air

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