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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 116 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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Word bank
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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: chair · bay · rule · press · dip · lean · stick · pitcher

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. press — newspapers
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. chair — a leader
  10. press — to push
  11. dip — to sink
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. rule — government
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. press — a publisher
  18. lean — to bend
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. rule — a law

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