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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. snap — to click
  3. root — of a word
  4. key — for a lock
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. saw — the tool
  7. key — in music
  8. root — of a plant
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. root — the cause
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. press — to push
  15. press — a publisher
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. saw — the tool
  18. chair — a leader
  19. stand — to bear
  20. key — the most important part
  21. press — newspapers
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — the animal

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