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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. stock — shares
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — a leader
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. spell — magic
  8. chip — for betting
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — to push
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. spell — letters
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. press — newspapers
  16. stock — goods
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. spell — a short time
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. chip — to eat
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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