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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. chip — to eat
  6. tube — the underground
  7. perch — the fish
  8. foot — a measure
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. chair — a leader
  11. press — newspapers
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. press — to push
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a line of people
  20. chip — for betting
  21. ball — a great time
  22. file — a document
  23. tube — a container
  24. press — a publisher

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