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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. suit — clothes
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. suit — to fit
  5. suit — in cards
  6. press — newspapers
  7. chest — of your body
  8. press — to push
  9. press — a publisher
  10. board — to get on
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — a box
  13. board — a committee
  14. shower — to wash
  15. file — a tool
  16. file — a line of people
  17. shower — rain
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. row — a line
  20. file — a document
  21. row — to paddle
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. stand — on your feet

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