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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. saw — the tool
  4. court — of law
  5. pop — soda
  6. mug — a cup
  7. chair — a leader
  8. pop — to visit
  9. court — of a king
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. court — for sport
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. pop — music
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mug — to rob
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. mug — a face
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. press — a publisher
  22. press — to push
  23. branch — a division
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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