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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. root — of a plant
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. mug — a face
  6. root — of a word
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. press — a publisher
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. chair — a leader
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. mug — a cup
  17. game — wild animals
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. mug — to rob
  22. root — the cause
  23. game — a match
  24. press — newspapers

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