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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. stock — shares
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. press — newspapers
  5. can — a tin
  6. pitch — completely
  7. press — to push
  8. spell — magic
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. can — to be able to
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. spell — a short time
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. press — a publisher
  17. stock — goods
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. can — a tin
  22. chair — a leader
  23. spell — letters
  24. cabinet — ministers

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