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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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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 · suit · chest · stick · chair · lie · object · bowl

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. press — to push
  6. chest — a box
  7. press — a publisher
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. press — newspapers
  12. suit — to fit
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. suit — in cards
  16. lie — to recline
  17. chair — a leader
  18. object — to protest
  19. suit — clothes
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. chest — of your body
  22. object — an aim
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. object — a thing

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