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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. capital — money
  7. press — newspapers
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. pit — a hole
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. capital — a city
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. press — to push
  20. pit — in a race
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. press — a publisher
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. hand — help

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