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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.

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: mate · press · can · clip · rush · last · chair · root

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. clip — for paper
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. root — of a word
  6. mate — a friend
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. root — the cause
  9. last — to go on
  10. mate — to breed
  11. clip — to cut
  12. can — to be able to
  13. press — newspapers
  14. mate — a partner
  15. press — a publisher
  16. last — finally
  17. last — final
  18. clip — a video
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. can — a tin
  21. root — of a plant
  22. press — to push
  23. chair — a leader
  24. can — a tin

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