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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 120 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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. press — newspapers
  3. board — a committee
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. row — to paddle
  6. press — a publisher
  7. pass — a permit
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. row — a line
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rest — a break
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. rest — what's left
  17. board — to get on
  18. tear — to rip
  19. squash — to crush
  20. press — to push
  21. chair — a leader
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. rest — what's left
  24. tear — from crying

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