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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.

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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: chair · kick · press · fall · rock · arm · spell · leaves

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. press — to push
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. spell — letters
  7. kick — in football
  8. rock — a stone
  9. chair — a leader
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. rock — music
  12. press — a publisher
  13. press — newspapers
  14. spell — magic
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. spell — a short time
  18. fall — to drop
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. leaves — of a tree

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