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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. rock — a stone
  3. press — newspapers
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. current — of water
  6. press — to push
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. kid — to tease
  11. current — electric
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. prune — to trim
  15. staff — employees
  16. press — a publisher
  17. prune — to trim
  18. kid — child
  19. staff — a stick
  20. date — the fruit
  21. staff — employees
  22. current — happening now
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. rock — music

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