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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. file — a line of people
  3. rush — hurry
  4. mark — a grade
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. last — finally
  7. press — newspapers
  8. last — final
  9. file — a tool
  10. press — to push
  11. press — a publisher
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. mark — a trace
  14. file — a document
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to point toward
  17. last — to go on
  18. chair — a leader
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pass — a permit
  22. face — to confront
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. pass — to succeed

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