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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. squash — to crush
  3. spring — a coil
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. press — a publisher
  7. scale — in music
  8. spring — the season
  9. root — of a plant
  10. root — of a word
  11. lie — to recline
  12. root — the cause
  13. press — newspapers
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. chair — a leader
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. squash — the sport
  23. spring — of water
  24. press — to push

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