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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: press · rush · capital · chest · arm · present · staff · fork

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. chest — of your body
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. staff — employees
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. press — newspapers
  9. capital — a city
  10. chest — of your body
  11. capital — money
  12. staff — employees
  13. present — there
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. press — to push
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. present — a gift
  19. staff — a stick
  20. press — a publisher
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. chest — a box
  23. fork — in a road
  24. present — the time now

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