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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. rest — what's left
  3. press — newspapers
  4. chair — a leader
  5. press — a publisher
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — a video
  11. rest — a break
  12. press — to push
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. kid — child
  15. rest — what's left
  16. wax — to grow
  17. object — to protest
  18. kid — to tease
  19. object — an aim
  20. dip — to sink
  21. object — a thing
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. clip — to cut
  24. chair — a professorship

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