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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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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: date · mark · season · chair · press · land · bass · suit

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. season — in sport
  5. mark — a trace
  6. press — a publisher
  7. suit — in cards
  8. mark — a grade
  9. land — a country
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. land — ground
  15. press — newspapers
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — the fruit
  18. land — to come down
  19. bass — low music
  20. press — to push
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — of the year
  24. suit — clothes

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