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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. can — a tin
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. net — after costs
  7. race — the arms race
  8. net — for catching
  9. race — a contest
  10. can — to be able to
  11. net — in sport
  12. hand — in cards
  13. spring — of water
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. race — humankind
  16. hand — help
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — a coil
  19. press — newspapers
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. press — a publisher
  22. press — to push
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. hand — part of the body

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