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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: board · rash · cell · court · rock · track · row · press

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  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. rock — music
  2. press — to push
  3. press — newspapers
  4. row — a line
  5. cell — a phone
  6. court — of law
  7. cell — in biology
  8. rash — hasty
  9. board — to get on
  10. board — a committee
  11. rock — a stone
  12. track — a song
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. track — a path
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — for sport
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. track — to keep track
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rash — a series
  22. press — a publisher
  23. row — to paddle
  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