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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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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: cabinet · chair · press · plane · straw · object · stand · cue

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. press — newspapers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cue — for pool
  5. object — a thing
  6. press — to push
  7. stand — to bear
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cue — a signal
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. cue — a hint
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. object — to protest
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. object — an aim
  20. chair — a leader
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. press — a publisher
  24. plane — a tool

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