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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — a leader
  3. rock — music
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. press — newspapers
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. deal — to handle
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rock — a stone
  13. object — an aim
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. press — to push
  17. press — a publisher
  18. fork — in a road
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. object — a thing
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. object — to protest
  24. calf — of the leg

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