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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. branch — a division
  6. lean — to bend
  7. press — to push
  8. bat — the animal
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. key — the most important part
  14. pound — a weight
  15. bound — obliged
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. press — a publisher
  19. key — in music
  20. bound — tied together
  21. lean — thin
  22. key — for a lock
  23. bound — certain
  24. branch — of a tree

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