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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: racket · pit · tear · press · chair · capital · board · row

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. row — to paddle
  3. row — a line
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. tear — from crying
  6. press — to push
  7. capital — a city
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. press — newspapers
  10. chair — a leader
  11. tear — to rip
  12. capital — money
  13. board — a committee
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. press — a publisher
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pit — a hole
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pit — in a race
  24. capital — a big letter

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