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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. suit — clothes
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. mug — to rob
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. mug — a face
  10. mug — a cup
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — the season
  13. suit — to fit
  14. pass — a permit
  15. fall — to drop
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. suit — in cards
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. press — to push
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. press — a publisher
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. press — newspapers

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