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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: roll · stock · wake · press · rash · game · rule · chair

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. game — wild animals
  3. roll — a cake
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. rule — government
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. roll — a list
  8. chair — a leader
  9. press — a publisher
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. press — to push
  13. rule — a law
  14. rash — a series
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. stock — goods
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — a match
  19. stock — shares
  20. press — newspapers
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. wake — a trail
  24. chair — to sit on

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