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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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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: wave · squash · chair · perch · row · press · charge · pit

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. charge — in control
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. perch — the fish
  9. pit — a hole
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. press — a publisher
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. press — to push
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. squash — to crush
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. row — a line
  18. press — newspapers
  19. row — to paddle
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. squash — the sport
  23. charge — electricity
  24. pit — in a race

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