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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. last — final
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. spring — of water
  5. tear — from crying
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. press — a publisher
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. press — to push
  11. last — finally
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. tear — to rip
  17. last — to go on
  18. chair — a leader
  19. tear — from crying
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spring — the season
  23. can — to be able to
  24. press — newspapers

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