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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. press — to push
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. court — of law
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. press — a publisher
  12. mark — a grade
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. press — newspapers
  15. mine — for digging
  16. court — of a king
  17. chair — a leader
  18. court — for sport
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. wake — a trail

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