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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. net — for catching
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. root — of a word
  6. net — in sport
  7. bass — the fish
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. root — the cause
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. date — the fruit
  14. net — after costs
  15. bass — low music
  16. chair — a leader
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. current — of water
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — electric
  21. root — of a plant
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — to push
  24. date — on the calendar

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