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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. cap — a hat
  5. kick — in football
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. chair — a leader
  9. press — newspapers
  10. content — happy
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. cap — a lid
  13. press — to push
  14. sharp — clever
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. press — a publisher
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. staff — a stick
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — employees
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. cap — of ice

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