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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mark · saw · cue · lash · squash · press · cabinet · chair

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. cue — a hint
  3. press — to push
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mark — a trace
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. squash — the sport
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. press — a publisher
  15. saw — the tool
  16. press — newspapers
  17. saw — the tool
  18. cue — for pool
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cue — a signal
  21. mark — a grade
  22. squash — to crush
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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