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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: bat · chair · calf · press · charge · stand

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. charge — electricity
  5. charge — a price
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. bat — the animal
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — to push
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. chair — a leader
  16. charge — in control
  17. stand — to bear
  18. press — newspapers

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