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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  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. coach — a trainer
  2. present — the time now
  3. wind — moving air
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. present — a gift
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. row — a line
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. press — a publisher
  14. row — to paddle
  15. wind — moving air
  16. present — there
  17. board — a committee
  18. board — to get on
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. press — newspapers
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. press — to push
  23. coach — a trainer
  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