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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — music
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. rest — a break
  7. charge — in control
  8. spell — a short time
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. charge — electricity
  11. shower — rain
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. press — newspapers
  14. spell — magic
  15. stem — to come from
  16. shower — to wash
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — to push
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. charge — a price
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  24. spell — letters

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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