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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. press — a publisher
  5. press — newspapers
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. spring — of water
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. snap — to click
  10. spring — a coil
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. saw — the tool
  13. press — to push
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a great time
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. saw — the tool
  20. chair — a leader
  21. spring — the season
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. pitcher — a jug

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