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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: present · season · chest · press · cell · suit · rush · chair

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — of the year
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — a box
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. present — a gift
  9. suit — in cards
  10. press — to push
  11. present — the time now
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — a phone
  15. press — a publisher
  16. rush — hurry
  17. press — newspapers
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. suit — to fit
  20. chair — a leader
  21. chest — of your body
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. suit — clothes
  24. rush — a thrill

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