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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. cap — a hat
  4. field — farmland
  5. chair — a leader
  6. press — to push
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. press — a publisher
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bear — the animal
  12. field — for sport
  13. lean — to bend
  14. rock — music
  15. perch — the fish
  16. cap — of ice
  17. field — a subject
  18. lean — thin
  19. cap — a lid
  20. bear — the animal
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rock — a stone
  23. press — newspapers
  24. lean — to rest against

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