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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: press · chair · stand · kid · rest · bear · dip · mate

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. press — a publisher
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. chair — a leader
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bear — the animal
  12. stand — to bear
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. press — newspapers
  16. rest — what's left
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. kid — child
  19. press — to push
  20. bear — the animal
  21. kid — to tease
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a partner
  24. dip — to sink

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