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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. object — a thing
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. club — a group
  6. chair — a leader
  7. press — a publisher
  8. object — to protest
  9. mug — a face
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. net — in sport
  13. mug — a cup
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. club — for dancing
  16. object — an aim
  17. mug — to rob
  18. net — for catching
  19. press — newspapers
  20. net — after costs
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. press — to push

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