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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 116 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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. press — a publisher
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. cold — not warm
  6. squash — the sport
  7. court — of a king
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. press — newspapers
  10. rock — a stone
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chair — a leader
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of law
  15. rule — government
  16. rule — a law
  17. press — to push
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. cold — an illness
  23. squash — to crush
  24. rock — music

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