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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. chair — a leader
  3. drill — the tool
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. foot — a measure
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. season — of the year
  9. drill — a practice
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. press — a publisher
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. press — to push
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. press — newspapers
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. season — in sport
  24. straw — dry grass

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