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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. cue — a signal
  3. spring — of water
  4. swing — in golf
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. press — to push
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. press — a publisher
  11. swing — music
  12. spring — a coil
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. press — newspapers
  17. swing — to play on
  18. cue — for pool
  19. wake — a trail
  20. spring — the season
  21. cue — a hint
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. dip — to sink

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