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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. court — for sport
  3. press — newspapers
  4. dip — to sink
  5. race — the arms race
  6. fine — high quality
  7. race — humankind
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. mate — a partner
  11. fine — all right
  12. court — of a king
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. chest — a box
  16. press — to push
  17. court — of law
  18. press — a publisher
  19. chest — of your body
  20. race — a contest
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. mate — a friend
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chair — a leader

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