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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wound · chair · fork · toast · press · firm

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. chair — a leader
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. firm — a company
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. fork — in a road
  10. firm — decided
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. press — a publisher
  13. firm — steady
  14. toast — bread
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — to push

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