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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. chest — of your body
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. stand — to bear
  7. chest — a box
  8. chair — a leader
  9. press — to push
  10. mug — to rob
  11. press — a publisher
  12. mug — a face
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. bear — the animal
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. mug — a cup
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. bear — the animal
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. press — newspapers
  24. chest — of your body

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