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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. chair — a leader
  5. stem — to come from
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. spell — letters
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. press — newspapers
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. spell — magic
  13. last — final
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. press — to push
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. last — to go on
  22. press — a publisher
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. last — finally

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