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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 124 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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rash — a series
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — a leader
  6. press — newspapers
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. net — for catching
  9. rash — hasty
  10. net — in sport
  11. land — to come down
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. land — a country
  15. game — a match
  16. rest — what's left
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. net — after costs
  19. press — a publisher
  20. rest — a break
  21. press — to push
  22. land — ground
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. toast — bread

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