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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: coach · press · roll · rush · mate · bound · chip · cabinet

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. press — a publisher
  3. mate — a partner
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bound — tied together
  6. press — to push
  7. bound — certain
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. chip — for betting
  10. mate — a friend
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bound — obliged
  13. mate — to breed
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. press — newspapers
  18. rush — hurry
  19. roll — a list
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. roll — a cake

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