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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: sharp · kid · lie · charge · tear · chair · press · mouse

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. lie — to recline
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. press — to push
  5. press — a publisher
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. charge — a price
  9. kid — to tease
  10. tear — to rip
  11. charge — in control
  12. tear — from crying
  13. kid — child
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. sharp — clever
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. press — newspapers
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. chair — a leader

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