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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: press · march · stick · chest · cabinet · sharp · season · bore

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. chest — a box
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bore — to drill
  6. sharp — clever
  7. march — the month
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. press — to push
  12. chest — of your body
  13. march — the month
  14. press — newspapers
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. season — in sport
  20. chest — of your body
  21. march — music
  22. season — of the year
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. press — a publisher

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