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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. toast — bread
  3. spring — of water
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. press — newspapers
  6. cue — a signal
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cue — for pool
  9. press — to push
  10. season — of the year
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. season — in sport
  14. spring — a coil
  15. land — a country
  16. chair — a leader
  17. press — a publisher
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. land — ground
  22. land — to come down
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. spring — the season

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