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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  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. date — on the calendar
  3. game — wild animals
  4. lean — thin
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. game — a match
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. kick — in football
  9. lean — to bend
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. press — newspapers
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. press — to push
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. date — the fruit
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. lean — to rest against
  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