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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: press · row · deal · chair · mug · rest · stick · squash

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mug — to rob
  6. rest — what's left
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. press — newspapers
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. mug — a face
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. squash — the sport
  13. rest — a break
  14. row — a line
  15. deal — to handle
  16. row — to paddle
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. press — to push
  19. chair — a leader
  20. press — a publisher
  21. squash — to crush
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. chair — a professorship

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