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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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468
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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — a leader
  3. press — to push
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. press — a publisher
  10. march — the month
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. march — the month
  14. fine — high quality
  15. march — music
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. snap — to click
  21. press — newspapers
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. bark — to shout

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