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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. net — after costs
  3. file — a line of people
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. file — a tool
  6. chest — of your body
  7. band — a ring
  8. chest — a box
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. file — a document
  11. net — for catching
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. court — of law
  15. band — a music group
  16. court — for sport
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. press — to push
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. net — in sport
  22. press — a publisher
  23. chair — a leader
  24. court — of a king

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