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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: rush · chair · foot · ball · press · hand · bound · chest

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. bound — tied together
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. ball — a great time
  7. hand — in cards
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. bound — certain
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. chest — a box
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. press — a publisher
  15. rush — hurry
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — to push
  18. foot — a measure
  19. bound — obliged
  20. ball — a dance
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. hand — help
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chair — a leader

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