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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — help
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. chest — of your body
  6. charge — electricity
  7. press — a publisher
  8. charge — a price
  9. press — newspapers
  10. can — a tin
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. snap — to click
  13. can — to be able to
  14. last — to go on
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. charge — in control
  19. last — final
  20. can — a tin
  21. kick — in football
  22. chest — of your body
  23. last — finally
  24. chest — a box

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