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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. spring — a coil
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to point toward
  6. club — a group
  7. spring — of water
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. squash — the sport
  10. club — for golf
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — to push
  13. face — to confront
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. spring — the season
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. press — a publisher
  21. chair — a leader
  22. club — for dancing
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — for tennis

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