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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 120 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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. chair — a leader
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. dip — to sink
  6. press — a publisher
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. land — ground
  10. content — the amount
  11. land — a country
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. land — to come down
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. press — to push
  17. bear — the animal
  18. press — newspapers
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. content — happy
  23. bear — the animal
  24. content — videos and posts

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