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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 ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. press — to push
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. press — newspapers
  8. club — for golf
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. club — a group
  15. lean — to bend
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. press — a publisher
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. club — for dancing
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. lean — thin
  23. kid — child
  24. cabinet — ministers

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