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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  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 leader
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. wound — an injury
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. board — a committee
  8. press — a publisher
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. press — to push
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. board — to get on
  16. pitch — completely
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. press — newspapers
  19. saw — the tool
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. saw — the tool
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. fan — a supporter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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