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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. kick — in football
  3. press — to push
  4. hand — help
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. chair — a leader
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. rock — music
  14. hand — in cards
  15. fork — in a road
  16. toast — bread
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. press — a publisher
  20. press — newspapers
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. rash — a series
  24. rock — a stone

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