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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: fall · deal · kick · sharp · ball · chair · press · stick

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  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 — a professorship
  2. press — to push
  3. fall — to drop
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. press — newspapers
  9. sharp — clever
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. fall — to drop
  12. kick — in football
  13. ball — a dance
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. fall — the season
  16. press — a publisher
  17. deal — to handle
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. ball — a great time
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  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