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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: plane · press · chip · rash · rock · coach · row · cold

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. press — to push
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. rash — hasty
  5. chip — for betting
  6. chip — to eat
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rock — music
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. row — a line
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rash — a series
  16. press — a publisher
  17. row — to paddle
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cold — an illness
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. press — newspapers
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. rash — on the skin

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