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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. foot — a measure
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. net — in sport
  6. firm — a company
  7. wake — a trail
  8. firm — steady
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. press — to push
  12. chair — a leader
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — newspapers
  15. clip — a video
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. clip — to cut
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. net — after costs
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. net — for catching
  23. clip — for paper
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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