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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: game · chair · press · charge · suit · band · wave · rush

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — a leader
  4. charge — electricity
  5. rush — hurry
  6. band — a ring
  7. game — a match
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. press — newspapers
  10. band — a music group
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. press — a publisher
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. press — to push
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. suit — in cards
  17. suit — to fit
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. charge — in control
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. suit — clothes
  24. charge — a price

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