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

Word bank: chair · object · club · wake · press · toast

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. object — to protest
  3. toast — bread
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. object — an aim
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. club — a group
  8. wake — a trail
  9. press — a publisher
  10. club — for golf
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. press — newspapers
  14. chair — a leader
  15. club — for dancing
  16. object — a thing
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. press — to push

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