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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. bound — tied together
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. ball — a dance
  6. chair — a leader
  7. root — of a plant
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. mug — a cup
  10. press — to push
  11. ball — a great time
  12. press — a publisher
  13. stock — shares
  14. bound — certain
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. mug — to rob
  18. press — newspapers
  19. mug — a face
  20. bound — obliged
  21. root — the cause
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. root — of a word
  24. stock — goods

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