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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: root · chair · press · kick · hand · pass · fork · bore

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. pass — a permit
  4. chair — a leader
  5. press — a publisher
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. hand — help
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. kick — in football
  10. bore — to tire
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. root — the cause
  15. root — of a word
  16. bore — to drill
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. root — of a plant
  20. hand — in cards
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. fork — in a road
  23. press — newspapers
  24. pass — to spend time

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