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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. press — newspapers
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. present — there
  6. press — to push
  7. tear — from crying
  8. face — part of the head
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. club — for dancing
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. present — the time now
  13. tear — to rip
  14. chair — a leader
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. club — for golf
  18. face — to point toward
  19. press — a publisher
  20. tear — from crying
  21. face — to confront
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. present — a gift
  24. club — a group

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