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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · dip · arm · field · leaves · racket · press · mate

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. mate — a partner
  5. dip — to sink
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — to push
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. press — newspapers
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. mate — to breed
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. mate — a friend
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — a subject
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. field — for sport
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. chair — a leader

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