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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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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: chair · object · press · rash · snap · cell

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. press — to push
  3. snap — to click
  4. press — newspapers
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. cell — in biology
  7. object — to protest
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. rash — a series
  10. object — an aim
  11. object — a thing
  12. press — a publisher
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — hasty
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. cell — a phone

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