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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 116 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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. press — to push
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. mug — a face
  5. drill — the tool
  6. plane — a tool
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bark — to shout
  9. chair — a leader
  10. suit — to fit
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — not warm
  14. suit — in cards
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. suit — clothes
  17. press — newspapers
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. mug — to rob
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. drill — army training
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. press — a publisher
  24. plane — an aircraft

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