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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. season — in sport
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bear — the animal
  9. perch — the fish
  10. wind — moving air
  11. season — of the year
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. pound — a weight
  15. press — to push
  16. press — newspapers
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. wind — moving air
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. sharp — clever
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. season — to add flavour

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