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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 120 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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. press — a publisher
  3. firm — a company
  4. ground — crushed
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. firm — decided
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. press — newspapers
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. firm — steady
  13. chair — a leader
  14. wind — moving air
  15. season — of the year
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. wind — moving air
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. lean — thin
  21. press — to push
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — a position
  24. season — in sport

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