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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 116 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: leaves · press · hide · straw · kid · cell · charge · present

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. charge — in control
  3. press — newspapers
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. present — a gift
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. charge — a price
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cell — a phone
  12. kid — to tease
  13. present — there
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. press — to push
  17. charge — electricity
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. kid — child
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. press — a publisher
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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