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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: rock · rush · chair · press · mark · pitcher · rule · wake

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rule — a law
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. mark — a trace
  8. press — to push
  9. chair — a leader
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rock — music
  12. rush — hurry
  13. wake — a trail
  14. press — a publisher
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. rule — government
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. press — newspapers
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mark — a grade

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