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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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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: mark · pitcher · temple · arm · press · deal · chair · lash

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. press — a publisher
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. chair — a leader
  6. mark — a grade
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. press — newspapers
  19. deal — to handle
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. press — to push

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