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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. saw — the tool
  3. swing — music
  4. stock — goods
  5. press — to push
  6. chair — a leader
  7. press — newspapers
  8. swing — to play on
  9. content — the amount
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. press — a publisher
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. content — happy
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. swing — in golf
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. stock — shares
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. fan — a supporter

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