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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. rash — hasty
  3. press — newspapers
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. ball — a great time
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. ball — a dance
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. chair — a leader
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bear — the animal
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bear — the animal
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — a series
  20. bore — to tire
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. press — to push
  23. bore — to drill
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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