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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: squash · pop · press · kid · chair · bore · cap · temple

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. kid — child
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a lid
  5. kid — to tease
  6. bore — to drill
  7. pop — soda
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. pop — to visit
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. squash — to crush
  12. press — to push
  13. bore — to tire
  14. chair — a leader
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. squash — the sport
  17. pop — music
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. press — a publisher
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. cap — a hat
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. press — newspapers

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