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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. mate — a partner
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. cap — of ice
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. chair — a leader
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. stock — shares
  9. mate — to breed
  10. press — to push
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. bound — tied together
  13. press — a publisher
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. foot — a measure
  17. press — newspapers
  18. cap — a lid
  19. mate — a friend
  20. stock — goods
  21. cap — a hat
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — certain
  24. chair — to sit on

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