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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: lean · current · tear · chair · mate · press · rule · pitch

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. rule — government
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rule — a law
  7. lean — thin
  8. tear — to rip
  9. press — a publisher
  10. mate — a partner
  11. press — newspapers
  12. current — electric
  13. current — happening now
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. current — of water
  16. mate — a friend
  17. lean — to bend
  18. mate — to breed
  19. press — to push
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chair — a leader
  22. pitch — completely
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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