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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
468
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: current · row · press · stand · staff · chair · ruler · face

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. current — of water
  3. staff — employees
  4. current — happening now
  5. face — to point toward
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. press — a publisher
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. staff — employees
  12. row — a line
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. stand — to bear
  16. press — to push
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. row — to paddle
  19. staff — a stick
  20. press — newspapers
  21. face — part of the head
  22. current — electric
  23. chair — a leader
  24. stand — on your feet

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