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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. charge — electricity
  3. spring — the season
  4. firm — steady
  5. charge — in control
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. press — to push
  10. press — a publisher
  11. spring — a coil
  12. press — newspapers
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. charge — a price
  16. firm — a company
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. chair — a leader
  21. spring — of water
  22. firm — decided
  23. mine — for digging
  24. hide — animal skin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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