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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. mate — to breed
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — rain
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. content — happy
  7. scale — size or range
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. content — the amount
  11. press — to push
  12. mate — a partner
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. scale — in music
  15. press — newspapers
  16. chair — a leader
  17. mate — a friend
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. shower — to wash
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. press — a publisher

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