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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. firm — steady
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. press — newspapers
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rest — what's left
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. firm — decided
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. rest — a break
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. firm — a company
  16. lie — to recline
  17. lean — thin
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lean — to bend
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. chair — a leader
  22. press — a publisher
  23. rest — what's left
  24. trunk — of a tree

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