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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: chair · press · pass · rock · cell · wake

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. press — a publisher
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. cell — a phone
  6. rock — a stone
  7. pass — a permit
  8. press — newspapers
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. chair — a leader
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. rock — music
  13. press — to push
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. wake — a trail
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. pass — to succeed

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