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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. branch — a division
  3. press — a publisher
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. net — in sport
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. net — for catching
  12. staff — employees
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. press — newspapers
  16. staff — employees
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. net — after costs
  19. staff — a stick
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. press — to push
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. hide — to keep secret

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