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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 120 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: press · craft · pound · drill · plane · chair · cue · stick

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. drill — the tool
  3. cue — a hint
  4. press — a publisher
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. press — to push
  7. cue — for pool
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. craft — boats
  12. plane — a tool
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. pound — a weight
  16. press — newspapers
  17. drill — a practice
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. cue — a signal
  20. craft — a skill
  21. drill — army training
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. craft — a handicraft

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