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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. court — of law
  3. present — the time now
  4. press — to push
  5. row — a line
  6. present — there
  7. press — a publisher
  8. chair — a leader
  9. kid — to tease
  10. firm — steady
  11. rock — a stone
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. firm — decided
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. court — for sport
  16. present — a gift
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. row — to paddle
  19. firm — a company
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. court — of a king
  22. kid — child
  23. rock — music
  24. rock — to move gently

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