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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. pitch — completely
  3. rule — a law
  4. rule — government
  5. swing — music
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bound — tied together
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. swing — in golf
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bound — certain
  15. fine — high quality
  16. press — to push
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. fine — all right
  19. press — newspapers
  20. bound — obliged
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. sharp — clever
  24. swing — to play on

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