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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. last — final
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. net — after costs
  7. press — newspapers
  8. net — for catching
  9. suit — to fit
  10. track — a path
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. track — a song
  13. last — finally
  14. suit — clothes
  15. track — to keep track
  16. band — a music group
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. press — to push
  19. band — a ring
  20. last — to go on
  21. suit — in cards
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. net — in sport
  24. chair — a leader

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