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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 · pitcher · current · nail · charge · coach · temple · chest

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. press — a publisher
  3. current — of water
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. chest — of your body
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. chest — of your body
  9. current — electric
  10. charge — electricity
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. press — to push
  13. charge — a price
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. chest — a box
  16. press — newspapers
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. charge — in control
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. current — happening now
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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