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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — a container
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. mug — to rob
  7. object — to protest
  8. tube — the underground
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mug — a cup
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. object — an aim
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. press — a publisher
  17. pound — a weight
  18. press — newspapers
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. object — a thing
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. mug — a face
  23. perch — the fish
  24. press — to push

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