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

Word bank: rash · cell · press · fall · snap · board

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. snap — to click
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. fall — the season
  5. rash — a series
  6. press — to push
  7. cell — in biology
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. press — a publisher
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. rash — hasty
  14. board — a committee
  15. fall — to drop
  16. cell — a phone
  17. fall — to drop
  18. snap — to speak sharply

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