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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. fall — the season
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. press — to push
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. row — a line
  9. board — a committee
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. fall — to drop
  12. press — newspapers
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — to tease
  16. plane — a tool
  17. board — to get on
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. toast — bread
  21. fall — to drop
  22. row — to paddle
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. press — a publisher

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