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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rock · present · chair · cold · season · suit · bat · press

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. press — to push
  3. chair — a leader
  4. season — of the year
  5. suit — to fit
  6. present — the time now
  7. bat — the animal
  8. cold — not warm
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — music
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. cold — an illness
  15. suit — clothes
  16. press — newspapers
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. present — a gift
  21. suit — in cards
  22. press — a publisher
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. season — in sport

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