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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 116 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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  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. staff — a stick
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. staff — employees
  5. bore — to drill
  6. spring — a coil
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. chair — a leader
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bat — the animal
  13. press — newspapers
  14. press — a publisher
  15. staff — employees
  16. spring — the season
  17. press — to push
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. kick — in football
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. spring — of water
  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