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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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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: lie · chair · fan · press · game · fall · rush · rash

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. rash — hasty
  3. lie — to recline
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. press — a publisher
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. game — a match
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. chair — a leader
  17. rush — hurry
  18. press — newspapers
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. press — to push
  21. rash — a series
  22. fall — to drop
  23. game — wild animals
  24. fall — to drop

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