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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 116 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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. chair — a leader
  4. mug — to rob
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. press — to push
  7. press — a publisher
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. field — farmland
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — money
  12. mug — a cup
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to click
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. charge — in control
  18. mug — a face
  19. charge — electricity
  20. field — for sport
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. charge — a price
  24. field — a subject

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